California Apartment Association has filed a brief in a case challenging an attempt by San Francisco to circumvent state law and limit rent increases on single-family homes.

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which lawmakers passed in 1995, shields single-family homes, condominiums, and new construction from local rent control laws like San Francisco’s.

To sidestep Costa-Hawkins, San Francisco has amended its tenant harassment ordinance to make it illegal to issue a “bad faith” rent increase to a tenant in a unit exempt from local rent control “with an intent to defraud, intimidate, or coerce the tenant into vacating” the residence.

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