(Who has no control over who lives next to her.)Check your local laws for noise ordinances.

That is even with city-controlled water meters. 

This is in reference to the RCJC Rent Control and Just Cause form. 

That said, for those units not subject to statewide rent control, rents have experienced significant increases this year.

Hi Garrett,Just off the top of my head, here are some of the steps you might want to take.Seek a construction lender for the job as as well as a lender for when you are stabilized.Find out what the Lender Requirements are for YOU (and your Partners and Co-signers) and for the Project, and work to meet the requirements.Open your dialog with a Lender(s) early on, and keep an eye on interest rates if they flux up you may want to reconsider doing your build.Talk to an Architectural Firm (that has built recently in the area) apartments of the size and type you are wanting.Ask them for some rough (You Spend) figures with timelines on them and see if that matches your Vision for the project (be ready to take out your checkbook for this).If it's a GO, have them recommend a General Contractor for the job (that has built recently in the area) apartments of the size and type you are wanting.If there are tax incentives tied to the project for certain renter classes have your CPA figure that into your projections.Consider any "Dirtwork" (soil engineering for poor soil) or required "Drainage" costs on your chosen site (or shortlist of sites).If it's a GO, tie up legal control of your building site.Note: Big construction can Bite you in a Big way if you have little experience in it.

I feel like since its rent control and very tenant friendly here, anything we do can be misconstrued or I can be sued for it.

All the areas I’ve searched in (except Burbank) are rent controlled.

No repairs until they're out and you have control of the property.

As a fellow Angeleno, we know with rent control there isn't median testing, so someone could be paying these low rents but actually have good income (especially in Texas with no state income tax).

Even if you worked at it everyday, there are somethings you can't control in the license process like mandatory timeframes, scheduling for testing, etc.