Print San Diego’s rent growth slowed in 2020 and all it took was a global pandemic. For the first time in roughly 10 years, rent prices did not go up for much of San Diego County — especially in the months directly following COVID-19 hitting the United States. Rents eventually stabilized but it wasn’t an eye-popping amount. The price of a one-bedroom apartment increased 2.9 percent in 12 months as of February, said rental website Zumper Landlords had more than just slowed rent growth to worry about in 2020. A patchwork of laws prevented eviction of tenants who had suffered income losses due to COVID-19, and 2020 was the first time that San Diego County was under any rent control law — a statewide effort that limits yearly increases here to around 7 percent.