No, it's not a normal business practice and does not pass the smell test.From driving? 

There are thousands of pages on consumer protection laws and regulations that depending how you go about doing a subject to could be against these laws and regulations. so like most things - is itillegal - it depends.  

Hello Doug, I am not a real estate attorney nor is this legal advice.Unless someone's state has specific laws banning contract assignments you should be fine doing the following.  

So need to check those laws.

. - Who ever told you that only 30 days notice is required does not know CA law.  

Do you know the laws of the land?

A lot of our housing stock here has finished basements or in-law suites, so with something like that you can generate significant rental income for an inexpensive conversion. 

Rent control laws are market specific.

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

Or, ya know, just spend the next 140 hours trying to get a self-study law education followed by another few hundred hours self-study to sort out how to avoid repeating the situation.That's the reality of it all.