Joining Family or Friends in Private Housing

Here are some general tips if you want to join someone in private housing (meaning neither the family or friends living there nor the landlord who owns the housing receive any government money):

    You can look at the lease/rental agreement and see what it says about the maximum number of occupants/residents and any guest policies (these will usually be in the written lease);
    You can ask the landlord about guest policies and for permission to add a new person to the lease if that is what you would like to do (sometimes a landlord will say it’s allowed but may be able to increase the rent[1329]);
    If the person you are living with OWNS their housing, you don’t have to worry about landlord policies, but you may still want to consider the pros & cons of living with family and friends on PG. 343 above.
  1. 1329

    Rent Increases: Basic Information for Tenants, Cal. Dep’t of Consumer Affairs (May 2012), http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/legal_guides/lt-2.shtml. ↑