Associations representing tenants and landlords are getting flooded with questions about the statewide rent- and eviction-control law that took effect in California Jan. 1.
The most common one is: “Does this apply to me?”
The answer generally depends on the type of property, its age, whether the owner is a person or business entity and how long a tenant has occupied the unit.
AB1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, limits annual rent increases to 5% plus an inflation rate, or 10% — whichever is less. It also prevents landlords from evicting tenants, even after their fixed-term lease runs out, except for a limited number of “just causes.” An individual property could be exempt from rent control, eviction control, both or neither.
The new law generally does not apply to units that are already subject to a local rent control ordinance. However, a unit could be exempt from a local ordinance but subject to the new state law, said Sasha Harnden, a housing policy advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
Here are brief answers to common questions. For more details, consult a landlord or tenant association or attorney or read the law online.
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