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Is Your Redondo Beach Single Family Rental Exempt From AB 1482? The Written Notice Trap

Published August 10, 2026

Owning a single family home or condo does not exempt you from California's rent cap by itself. The exemption only exists once the tenant has the exact statutory notice, in the right document, at the right time.

Probably, but only if you did the paperwork. A Redondo Beach single family home or condo is exempt from AB 1482 rent caps and just cause rules only when the owner is not a REIT, corporation, or LLC with a corporate member, and the tenant received the exact statutory notice. No notice, no exemption.

Last verified: August 10, 2026

A two part test, and most owners pass only one part

California's Tenant Protection Act sets the rent cap in Civil Code §1947.12 and the just cause rules in §1946.2. Both carve out the same kind of property on the same two conditions.

The property must be, per §1947.12(d)(5), "residential real property that is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit." That is a house on its own lot or a condo with its own deed. A Redondo Beach duplex does not qualify, no matter how separately you manage the two sides.

Part one: who holds title

Under §1947.12(d)(5)(A) and §1946.2(e)(8)(A), the owner cannot be a real estate investment trust as defined in Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code, a corporation, or an LLC in which at least one member is a corporation.

Read that last one twice. An LLC is fine. An LLC with a corporate member is not. Owners who moved a beach house into an entity, and whose accountant added an S corp as a member, lost the exemption the day the operating agreement was signed.

Notice what is not in that list: a property count. There is no three property limit, no portfolio test anywhere in the statute. If you own eleven separately deeded houses in your own name, all eleven can qualify.

Part two: the notice that actually creates the exemption

This is the trap. §1947.12(d)(5)(B)(i) conditions the exemption on the tenant having "been provided written notice that the residential real property is exempt from this section." §1946.2(e)(8)(B) says the same for just cause.

The exemption is not a property characteristic you inherit at closing. It is a status you claim in writing, to that tenant, in that tenancy. Skip the paragraph and your exempt house is a covered house, capped at 5 percent plus regional CPI with a ceiling of 10 percent per §1947.12(a)(1), and subject to the full just cause list including relocation assistance on no fault terminations.

The exact language, word for word

Both sections require this statement:

> "This property is not subject to the rent limits imposed by Section 1947.12 of the Civil Code and is not subject to the just cause requirements of Section 1946.2 of the Civil Code. This property meets the requirements of Sections 1947.12 (d)(5) and 1946.2 (e)(8) of the Civil Code and the owner is not any of the following: (1) a real estate investment trust, as defined by Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) a corporation; or (3) a limited liability company in which at least one member is a corporation."

Do not paraphrase it. The statute prints the sentence in quotation marks for a reason.

Timing decides which document it goes in

§1947.12(d)(5)(B) splits this cleanly.

  • Tenancy that existed before July 1, 2020. Clause (ii) says the notice "may, but is not required to, be provided in the rental agreement." A separate written notice works. It still has to happen.
  • Tenancy commenced or renewed on or after July 1, 2020. Clause (iii) says the notice "must be provided in the rental agreement." Not a letter. Not an email. In the lease.

That word "renewed" is where South Bay owners get hurt. A 2018 tenant near Riviera Village who signed a new one year lease in 2023 is a renewed tenancy. If the renewal did not carry the notice, the house is covered.

Four ways owners lose an exemption they thought they had

  1. The month to month rollover. The original lease had the notice, the tenant went month to month, and nobody looked again.
  2. The entity change. Title moved to an LLC and a corporate member came with it.
  3. The property manager switch. New manager, new lease template, notice dropped in the rewrite.
  4. Assuming Redondo Beach has its own rules. It does not. There is no local rent stabilization ordinance here, so state law is the whole story, unlike Los Angeles or unincorporated county areas.

If you missed it, fix it forward

You cannot backdate compliance. You can put the notice into the next lease or renewal. §1947.12(d)(5)(B) provides that adding it to a new or renewed rental agreement counts as a similar provision for purposes of §1946.2(b)(1)(E), the just cause ground for a tenant refusing to sign a new lease with similar terms.

Both sections are set to repeal on January 1, 2030 unless the Legislature extends them.

FAQ

Do I have to give the notice every year?

No. What matters is that the current tenancy's rental agreement carries it. Every new lease and renewal after July 1, 2020 needs it inside the document.

I gave the notice by email. Is that enough?

For a tenancy started or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, no. Clause (iii) requires it in the rental agreement itself. For a pre July 2020 tenancy a separate written notice is allowed, and you want proof of delivery.

My condo is in an LLC I own alone. Still exempt?

Yes, on the ownership test. The disqualifier is an LLC with at least one corporate member. A single member LLC owned by a natural person is not excluded by §1947.12(d)(5)(A).

Does the exemption cover my Redondo Beach ADU?

Usually not. An ADU generally shares title with the main house, so it is not alienable separate from another dwelling unit. Look at the deed, not the address.

General information from a licensed California real estate brokerage, not legal advice. Statutes change and outcomes turn on the facts of your tenancy. Consult a licensed California attorney before serving a rent increase, notice, or termination.

Topics: AB 1482, Tenant Protection Act, Redondo Beach, single family rental, rent cap, just cause, California landlord compliance, South Bay

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Schofield Properties is a family run property management company at 323 Richmond St, El Segundo, CA 90245. We have managed the South Bay since 1972 and personally oversee about 186 doors today. Book a call to talk about your property.