SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco resident has succeeded — for now — in preventing his landlord from nearly doubling his rent because his parents moved out of the apartment where his family had lived since he was a young teenager.

A California appeals court upheld a decision by the city’s rent board and ruled last week that Brian Govender must be considered an original occupant of the $1,682-a-month apartment even though he was not a signatory to the lease.

The Chronicle says Govender was 13 years old when his family rented the rent-controlled apartment and 23 when his parents left 2 ½ years ago.

The apartment is owned by Mosser Companies, which argued that the city’s rent control laws did not apply to Govender and wanted to raise his rent to $3,295 a month.