Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Added tenant rent

In my opinion, it depends upon the language of your lease. Leases that are silent on the number of persons who can occupy the premises would normally be construed to allow another member of the immediate family to live there. However, most leases nowadays specify the maximum number of occupants, and sometimes they are listed by name, e.g. by limiting permanent occupancy to the persons who are signatories to the lease.

It sounds like your lease, like most, puts some kind of limitation on the number of occupants, and if that is the case, close relatives will be counted just like strangers (absent some unusual wording).