Under L.A.M.C. § 151.02, the term “rental unit” excludes the following “Dwellings, one family, except where two or more dwelling units are located on the same lot. This exception shall not apply to duplexes or condominiums”. Under L.A.M.C. § 12.03 a “Dwelling Unit” is defined as “A group of two or more rooms, one of which is a kitchen, designed for occupancy by one family for living and sleeping purposes.” Thus a “One-Family Dwelling Unit” for purposes of rent control is defined as a detached single family residence. The question of whether a particular rental unit is subject to rent control becomes a bit unclear when guest houses are rented out. A simple test for landlords to use as a guide is whether such a “guest house” has a kitchen. Landlords and homeowners renting out a guest house with a kitchen should probably contact LA Housing to determine whether their rental unit is subject to rent control before an eviction action is filed or contemplated. If you are a landlord in Los Angeles facing the possibility of evicting a tenant, contact one of our Los Angeles Eviction Attorneys for a free consultation and case evaluation.