<human>: Can you provide a brief overview of the text?

My girlfriend and I just moved into a new apartment in Santa Monica. Our rent is $1600, which was our ceiling as far as budgets go. When we came to sign the lease the manager of the building accidentally brought the "month to month" lease instead of the year lease. He said since it was his mistake he would just let us be month to month, or if we wanted he could just cross it out and write year lease. We opted for the month to month.

At first we were happy with it, because it gives us more flexibility. And we also just watched a friend go through a break up with her boyfriend that she lived with and got stuck paying double rent for the rest of her lease. Obviously, we don't think that will happen with us, but if God forbid it did happen, month to month would be better.

However, now I worry that it wasn't just a mistake by the manager. Our building is old and Santa Monica is rent controlled, but would signing a month to month vs. signing a year lease affect whether the owners could raise the rent? I'll probably go to the rent control office here and double check it all, but I figure it couldn't hurt to ask you fine people.
<bot>: GF and I just moved into a new place. Was supposed to be year lease, manager brought month to month papers by accident. Is there a downside to being month to month (ie: rent control)?