Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Hi,

I will first tell you my situation, then ask you the question.

I stayed in a residential hotel in San Francisco for about nine months. The hotel raised the rate by $70/ week after about nine months of stay, in which I was forced to move out. After I moved out, I found out that I might have been overcharged throughout my stay. The rate when I moved in was $159+tax= $181 total. My rate never went down after four weeks. I thought it should because there was no eligible tax applied. I met with the owner, and her explanation is that the hotel does not charge tax after four weeks, but the hotel just changes the rate to a flat rate of $181 (the same total as with tax). She agreed to pay back 50% of the "extra money." I would like to get the full refund, and am wondering if I would win a small claims case if necessary.

These are the issues I am wondering about:

1.Would changing a base rate of $159+tax=$181, to a flat rate $181 be considered a rent increase?

2. Is raising the rent $70/week after 8 or 9 months of stay an illegal rent increase?

3.This hotel used to have a policy that a person could stay longer than four weeks, but after four weeks, the person would have to pay in cash, and could not be given a receipt. Is that legal?

Looking forward to your advice, thanks.

Evan

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