Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Completely untrue. You cannot aquire title simply by living there. You may want to seek out legal counsel to determine the requirements of obtaining title by adverse possession (far too complex to explain in this forum), but you are living there with permission (which busts the "adverse" part of adverse possession) even if you are not paying rent.

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Actually, living there under an agreement to pay rent and then not paying rent is an unlawful detainer. That would, in fact, satisfy the adversity requirement, particularly if the landlord has died and there is another person who owns the property and is entitled to the rents. However, it takes a LOT longer than 1.5 years of adverse posession to obtain a right to claim title. Furthermore it is a LOT more complicated than filing a form. You would have to file a lawsuit to quiet title.