(a) Any licensee or officer, director, partner, or manager of a licensee may divulge to any law enforcement officer or district attorney, or to his or her representative, any information he or she may acquire as to any criminal offense, but he or she shall not divulge to any other person, except as he or she may be required by law to do so, any information acquired by him or her except at the direction of the employer or client for whom the information was obtained.

(b) No licensee or officer, director, partner, manager, or employee of a licensee shall knowingly make any false report to his or her employer or client for whom information was being obtained.

(c) No written report shall be submitted to a client except by the licensee, qualifying manager, or a person authorized by one or either of them, and such person submitting the report shall exercise diligence in ascertaining whether or not the facts and information in such a report are true and correct.

(d) No licensee, or officer, director, partner, manager, or employee of a licensee shall use a badge in connection with the official activities of the licensee’s business.

(e) No licensee, or officer, director, partner, manager, or employee of a licensee, shall use a title, or wear a uniform, or use an insignia, or use an identification card, or make any statement with the intent to give an impression that he or she is connected in any way with the federal government, a state government, or any political subdivision of a state government.

(f) No licensee, or officer, director, partner, manager, or employee of a licensee, shall enter any private building or portion thereof without the consent of the owner or of the person in legal possession thereof.

(g) No licensee shall appear as an assignee party in any proceeding involving claim and delivery, replevin, or other possessory action, action to foreclose a chattel mortgage, mechanic’s lien, materialman’s lien, or any other lien.

(h) No licensee shall permit an employee or agent in his or her own name to advertise, engage clients, furnish reports, or present bills to clients, or in any manner whatever to conduct business for which a license is required under this chapter. All business of the licensee shall be conducted in the name of and under the control of the licensee.

(i) No licensee acting as an independent automobile damage appraiser or adjuster or as an automobile insurance claims adjuster, appraiser or representative shall receive any financial benefit from an automobile repair facility. “Financial benefit” means the receiving of any commission or gratuity, discount on repair costs, free repairs, employment by a repair facility, or possession of more than 3 percent direct ownership in an automobile repair facility located in this state.

(Amended by Stats. 1981, Ch. 657, Sec. 1.)