in my city, the term is "a golden duplex"
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Q: I am interested in buying a house that has an in-law unit on the property. My realtor says it's a "golden duplex" and therefore not subject to rent control. What exactly is a golden duplex and why would it not be under rent control?
First, for Rent Board purposes, a duplex is any two-unit property. Some duplexes are exempt from rent control, or "golden," while others are not. A duplex is exempt from rent control if an owner lived in one of the units as his or her principal residence on December 31, 1979 and an owner currently occupies one of the units as his or her principal residence (it need not be the same owner). "Owner" in this context means an owner of record with at least a 50 percent interest in the property.
The rationale for this exemption from rent control is the belief that an owner who shares a small property with a tenant will have a more familial relationship with his tenant and, therefore, there is less need for external rules to protect the tenant from unwarranted rent increases.