So, how many months of living on your couch before someone gets to claim protection under California's tenant's rights laws, and you then have to go through a hearing, a lawsuit, a trial, a judgement, and then calling the sheriffs to perform an eviction.
This definitely seems like something to address. But it also doesn't seem like an obstacle big enough to get in the way of Y Couchinator succeeding long term. It seems like something that can be addressed by the occupant signing some sort of form.
So, how many months of living on your couch before someone gets to claim protection under California's tenant's rights laws, and you then have to go through a hearing, a lawsuit, a trial, a judgement, and then calling the sheriffs to perform an eviction.
It only needs to happen once, and you're screwed.
In most countries, a person sharing accomodation with the owner of a dwelling is classed as a lodger, with limited to no tenancy rights.
The lodger can be evicted with reasonable notice (usually ~30 days), after which they are treated as a trespasser. The police can remove them.
A quick search brought up the relevant sections of the CA civil code and penal code.