Redondo Beach has no local rent control, but duplexes and ADUs make AB 1482's exemptions tricky. Here's how owner occupancy, ADUs, and the 15-year rule affect Redondo Beach landlords.
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My office is in Redondo Beach, so this one's close to home.
Redondo Beach has no local rent control, no local just cause ordinance, and no rent registry. The state's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) governs.
But Redondo is full of duplexes, houses with a back unit, and owners who live right next door to their tenants. That's exactly where AB 1482's exemptions get tricky, and where one question matters more than any other: where do you sleep at night?
The owner-occupied duplex exemption
A duplex is exempt from AB 1482's rent cap and just cause rules when:
• It's two units in a single structure, and
• The owner lived in one unit when the tenancy began and has lived there throughout the tenancy.
Two things catch people. First, if the owner moves out, the exemption can go with them. Second, a house with an ADU or junior ADU is not a "duplex" for this exemption. The ADU doesn't count as the second unit.
If you live in the house and rent out the ADU
AB 1482 has a separate exemption for an owner-occupied residence where the owner rents out no more than two units or bedrooms, including an ADU or junior ADU. If you live in the main house and rent the ADU, you're generally outside AB 1482.
If you don't live there
This is where it gets harder. Say you live elsewhere and rent out both the house and the ADU.
The single-family home exemption applies to a home that is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit, meaning it can be sold on its own. A house with an ADU on the same lot usually can't be sold separately from the ADU, so that exemption may not fit, even with the exemption addendum in the lease.
How this applies to your property is a question for your attorney. Don't assume you're exempt.
The 15-year clock on newer ADUs
Housing that received its certificate of occupancy within the last 15 years is exempt from AB 1482. A newer ADU may qualify as new construction, but only temporarily. An ADU finished in 2022 has a clock that runs out in 2037.
Why it matters
If a unit is covered and you treat it as exempt, you risk raising rent above the cap (8.7% in LA County for increases effective through July 31, 2027), ending a tenancy without a qualifying reason, or skipping the one month of relocation required for a no-fault termination. The tenant's attorney will know the exemptions better than most owners do.
Your Redondo Beach checklist
• Duplex? Did you live there from the start of the tenancy, and do you still?
• House plus ADU? Do you live on the property?
• Not living there? Talk to counsel before treating anything as exempt.
• Newer ADU? Find its certificate of occupancy date and the 15-year rollover.
• When in doubt, follow the rent cap and just cause rules anyway.
Next up
Tomorrow: Long Beach, where the city adds its own just cause and relocation rules on top of the state law.
This article and video are for general educational purposes only and are not legal, tax, or financial advice. Tony Self is a licensed California real estate broker (DRE #01906720) with Harcourts Hunter Mason Realty, not an attorney, and reading this does not create a client relationship. Rent control and eviction laws change often and vary by city and county. Figures are current as of September 2026. Consult a qualified California landlord-tenant attorney about your specific property.
Sources
• AB 1482 bill text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1482
• CA Attorney General, Tenant Protection Act guide for landlords: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/Tenant-Protection-Act-Landlords-and-Property-Managers-English.pdf
• C.A.R. Form RCJC, Rent Cap and Just Cause Addendum (Revised 6/23)
• AOA 2026-2027 AB 1482 maximum increase sheet and exemption list (5/14/2026), Rent Control folder
Questions about how this affects your rental?
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