Cal. Civ. Code § 325

  § 325. Registry of owner, agent and lessee. 1. Every owner of a
multiple dwelling, every lessee of a whole dwelling and every agent or
other person having control of such a dwelling, shall file in the
department a notice containing his name, address and a description of
the premises, by street number or otherwise, and the class and kind of
the dwelling thereon, in such manner as will enable the department to
find the same; and also the number of apartments and rooms in each
apartment on each story, and the number of families occupying the
apartments. If such owner or lessee be a corporation, other than a
banking organization as defined in section two of the banking law, a
national banking association, a federal savings and loan association,
The Mortgage Facilities Corporation, Savings Banks Life Insurance Fund,
The Savings Banks Retirement System, an authorized insurer as defined in
section one hundred seven of the insurance law, or a trust company or
other corporation organized under the laws of this state all the capital
stock of which is owned by at least twenty savings banks or a subsidiary
corporation all of the capital stock of which is owned by such trust
company or other corporation, the names and residence addresses of its
officers shall also be contained in such notice. A similar notice shall
be filed within thirty days following an election of any new officer or
a change of address of any such officer. The provisions of this section
also shall apply to successors in title, ownership or control of any
premises, whether by act of the parties or by process or operation of
law and, within thirty days after such succession, particulars of such
ownership or control shall be filed in the department. If any successor
in interest be under the age of twenty-one years his duly appointed
guardian or, if there be no guardian, his administrator shall comply
with this section in his behalf.  Where after the filing of any notice
under this section, the premises shall have been declared a public
nuisance to any extent pursuant to paragraph b of subdivision one of
section three hundred nine of this chapter and such declaration shall
have been filed as therein provided, the owner, if a corporation, other
than a banking organization as defined in section two of the banking
law, a national banking association, a federal savings and loan
association, The Mortgage Facilities Corporation, Savings Banks Life
Insurance Fund, The Savings Banks Retirement System, an authorized
insurer as defined in section one hundred seven of the insurance law, or
a trust company or other corporation organized under the laws of this
state all the capital stock of which is owned by at least twenty savings
banks or a subsidiary corporation all of the capital stock of which is
owned by such trust company or other corporation, shall file a similar
notice within ten days which shall in addition contain the name and
residence and business address of each director and stockholder of the
corporation and of each person known to have any beneficial interest in
such stock.
  2. In any city of over one million which, by local law, requires the
registration of owners of multiple dwellings and which prescribes
penalties, remedies, and sanctions to be imposed for the violation of
such local registration requirements, no rent shall be recovered by the
owner of a multiple dwelling who fails to comply with such registration
requirements until he complies with such requirements. If a resident of
an unregistered dwelling voluntarily pays rent or an installment of rent
when he had a right to withhold the same under this subdivision, he
shall not thereafter have any claim or cause of action to recover back
the rent or installment of rent so paid. A voluntary payment within the
meaning of this subdivision means payment other than one made pursuant
to judgment in an action or special proceeding.