CACI No. 4325. Affirmative Defense - Failure to Comply With Rent Control Ordinance/Tenant Protection Act
Judicial Council of California Civil Jury Instructions (2020 edition)
Download PDF4325.Affirmative Defense - Failure to Comply With Rent Control
Ordinance/Tenant Protection Act
[Name of defendant] claims that [name of plaintiff] is not entitled to evict
[him/her/nonbinary pronoun] because [name of plaintiff] violated [[insert
name of local governmental entity]’s rent control law]/[the Tenant
Protection Act]. To succeed on this defense, [name of defendant] must
prove the following:
[Insert elements of rent control defense.]
New August 2007; Revised May 2020
Directions for Use
Insert the elements of the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and/or the relevant local
rent control law into this instruction.
Sources and Authority
• Tenant Protection Act of 2019. Civil Code section 1946.2.
• “[T]he statutory remedies for recovery of possession and of unpaid rent do not
preclude a defense based on municipal rent control legislation enacted pursuant
to the police power imposing rent ceilings and limiting the grounds for eviction
for the purpose of enforcing those rent ceilings.” (Birkenfeld v. Berkeley (1976)
17 Cal.3d 129, 149 [130 Cal.Rptr. 465, 550 P.2d 1001], internal citations and
footnote omitted.)
• “Although municipalities have power to enact ordinances creating substantive
defenses to eviction, such legislation is invalid to the extent it conflicts with
general state law.” (Fisher v. City of Berkeley (1984) 37 Cal.3d 644, 697 [209
Cal.Rptr. 682, 693 P.2d 261], internal citations omitted.)
Secondary Sources
12 Witkin, Summary of California Law (11th ed. 2017) Real Property, § 618
1 California Landlord-Tenant Practice (Cont.Ed.Bar 2d ed.) §§ 7.53-7.76
2 California Eviction Defense Manual (Cont.Ed.Bar 2d ed.) Ch. 17
7 California Real Estate Law and Practice, Ch. 200, Termination: Causes and
Procedures, § 200.21 (Matthew Bender)
7 California Real Estate Law and Practice, Ch. 210, Unlawful Detainer, § 210.64
(Matthew Bender)
Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Landlord-Tenant Litigation, Ch. 5,
Unlawful Detainer, 5.21
29 California Forms of Pleading and Practice, Ch. 332, Landlord and Tenant: The
Tenancy Actions, § 332.28 (Matthew Bender)
29 California Forms of Pleading and Practice, Ch. 333, Landlord and Tenant:
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Copyright Judicial Council of California
Eviction Actions, § 333.10 (Matthew Bender)
23 California Points and Authorities, Ch. 236, Unlawful Detainer, § 236.74
(Matthew Bender)
Miller & Starr California Real Estate 4th, §§ 34:204, 34:256 (Thomson Reuters)
CACI No. 4325 UNLAWFUL DETAINER
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Copyright Judicial Council of California
© Judicial Council of California.
