Your landlord may not be able to increase your rent just because your roommate is moving out. Under the San Francisco Rent Ordinance, a roommate that moves into an existing tenancy sometimes is entitled to keep the rent level inherited from the original occupants. A state law known as Costa Hawkins has made it more difficult for subsequent occupants to keep units under rent control. The legal analysis can be complicated. The following flowchart can be helpful in analyzing whether a subsequent occupant in a rent-controlled unit in San Francisco can fight a rent increase. Subsequent Occupant’s Right to Rent Control in San Francisco
