Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

First, the landlord is not required to inform your friend as to the location of any registered sex offenders near the apartment. The requirement is that the landlord must give your friend a "Megan's Law Disclosure" which only states that your friend had the right to contact the Megan's Law website, or the local Sheriff to determine whether or not a registered sex offender lives in the area. I do not believe that failure to give that notice is grounds to terminate the rental agreement - your friend would have to prove that she would have, if she received the notice, actually reviewed the database and chose not to move into the apartment based on the presence of a sex offender in the building. The fact that she didn't actually move in helps to prove that, but it will still be up to the judge if the failure to give that disclosure was sufficient to allow your friend to terminate the lease early.

As for recovering the money paid, there is no way other than going to court to force her to repay the money. You can, from many different free and pay websites, find the name and address of the owner of the building. If you have a friend in real estate, they can obtain a property profile showing the name and mailing address of the owner. Alternatively, you will have to hire someone to find that information before your friend can sue her.

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