Why is getting the rent control status of your unit correct so important? 

Navigating the world of rental property management comes with a maze of legal responsibilities—and one of the most critical factors to understand is whether your property is subject to rent control. For landlords, this isn’t just a legal technicality. Rent control can significantly impact how much you can charge for rent, when and how you can increase it, and even your ability to evict tenants. Failing to understand your property’s rent control status can lead to costly legal missteps, compliance issues, and potential tenant disputes. 

Why Rent Control Status Matters in Automated Legal Workflows

Joiner’s real estate management platform streamlines critical landlord functions—automating everything from rent increase notices and notices of entry to cure-or-quit and pay-or-quit notices. Each of these documents is generated with built-in legal disclosures tailored to your property’s specific requirements. One key factor that shapes these legal templates? Rent control status. Whether or not a unit is subject to rent control directly impacts what language and requirements must be included in the notices you serve. That’s why accurately identifying rent control status isn’t just important—it’s essential for compliance and avoiding legal risk.

Disclaimer & Legal Guidance

This post is designed to help you assess whether your rental unit falls under rent control by summarizing key aspects of applicable laws. However, it is not a substitute for legal advice. Because rent control regulations vary widely by city and sometimes county —and because a unit not covered by a local ordinance may still fall under California’s statewide rent control and just cause eviction laws (see this post) —it’s important to consult the relevant local statutes or seek advice from a qualified attorney to make a definitive determination.

Joiner partners with BrightWork Law PC, a firm known for delivering efficient, cost-effective legal counsel tailored to the needs of property owners and managers across California. If you are not sure about the status of your unit we recommend that you contact BrightWork or any other law firm.

Palm Springs Rent Control Ordinance Applicability 

Palm Springs, California has implemented multiple rent control and just cause for eviction ordinance which can be found here. As a result an owner must determine which ordinance, if any, applies to their property. This question is made more difficult by the multiple and conflicting ordinances passed in Palm Springs. 

The 1984 rent control measure (Palm Springs Code of Ordinances Ch. 4.02) covers all rental units located with the city except: 

• Those which rented for more than $450 in 1979;
• Units used primarily for commercial purposes;
• Units in buildings, mobile home parks, or developments of four units or less, while one unit is occupied by the owner;
• Units upon which construction began on or after April 1, 1979;
• Units in any hotel, motel, inn, tourist home or boardinghouse which are rented primarily to transient guests and are subject to the transient occupancy tax of the city for any period during which such tax is actually collected and paid to the city;
• Spaces in any recreational vehicle park;
• Units in nonprofit cooperatives when occupied by the shareholder entitled to exclusive possession thereof;
• Units in any hospital, medical care facility, asylum, or nonprofit home for the aged;
• Units owned, managed or operated by any government agency;
• Units whose rent is subsidized by any governmental agency, if federal or state law or regulation specifically exempts such units from rent regulation.

The 1994 rent control measure (Palm Springs Code of Ordinances Ch. 4.08) covers residential real property except for the following: 

• Those which rented for more than $450 in 1979;
• Units used primarily for commercial purposes;
• Units in buildings, mobile home parks, or developments of four units or less, while one unit is occupied by the owner;
• Units upon which construction began on or after April 1, 1979;
• Spaces in any recreational vehicle park;
• Units in nonprofit cooperatives, unless rented or leased to a tenant;
• Units in any hospital, medical care facility, asylum, or nonprofit home for the aged;
• Units owned, managed, or operated by any government agency;
• Units whose rent is subsidized by any governmental agency, if federal or state law or regulation specifically exempts such units from rent regulation.

The 2022 rent control measure (Palm Springs Code of Ordinances Ch. 4.10) covers residential real property except for the following: 

• Iny residential real property that has a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995. 
• It was exempted before February 1, 1995 based on local rules relating to in progress buildings. 
• It is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit or is a subdivided interest in a subdivision. 
• Dormitories owned and operated by an institution of higher education or a kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, school.
• A unit subject to City Code Chapter 4.08,  – the 1994 rent control ordinance. 
• A unit in a hotel, motel, inn, tourist home, or rooming and boarding house which is rented primarily to transient guests for a period of less than 30 days; and certain other transient occupancies.
• A unit in an institutional facility, including a hospital, medical care facility, residential care facility, asylum, group home for seniors or the disabled; a rental unit in a transitional housing program that assists homeless persons as defined in California Civil Code section 1954.12; a convent or monastery owned and operated by a religious organization; and a fraternity or sorority house affiliated with a college or university.
• Housing accommodations which a government agency or authority owns, operates, or manages, or that state or federal law or administrative regulation specifically preempt from municipal rent regulation.
• A unit that the owner or the owner’s immediate family occupied as their principal place of residence at the beginning of the tenancy so long as the owner or the owner’s immediate family continues in occupancy. Immediate family is limited to the owner’s spouse, parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.