Local rent control laws may apply to a Single Family Residence if the Owner is renting individual rooms to separate tenants under separate leases.

In 2020, The California Appellate Court in Owens v. City of Oakland Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board ("Owens"), held that a Single Family Residence is defined in California Civil Code section 1954.52(a)(3)(A), which provides that "an owner of residential real property may establish the initial and all subsequent rental rates for a dwelling or a unit about which the following is true…It is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit…."

According to the Court, the Owner by renting multiple rooms to separate tenants had converted the single family residence into a multi-unit dwelling that was subject to Oakland's Rent Adjustment Program since the individual rooms were not alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit.

Under the California Appellate Court's decision in Owens, tenants in Oakland renting rooms in a single-family home or in a condominium are entitled to the protections provided by Oakland's Rent Adjustment Program.

This ruling, however, does NOT apply if the owner is renting a room in his or her Single Family Residence in which the owner resides if the owner is sharing the common areas (such as a kitchen) with the tenant.

The California Appellate Court's decision in Owens, means that California tenants living in other cities with rent control or just cause eviction ordinances (like the City of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, or County of Los Angeles) may be protected under the local city's rent limits and just cause eviction protections if the owner is renting out individual bedrooms to different tenants under separate rental agreements.

Landlords should discuss with an attorney their situation if they are renting out multiple rooms in a single family home in which they do not reside and all landlords renting a single room should review and revise their lease agreements to ensure the "dwelling unit" being leased is properly defined as a room with the shared use of the common areas of the Residence with the owner.

See also, California Civil Code section 1940(c), the court interpreted "dwelling unit" to mean "a structure or the part of a structure that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place."