Register to use some or all of your home to host short-term rentals

Berkeleyans seeking to use part or all of their home to host short-term rentals – which can be for up to 13 days at a time or 90 days a year – should verify property qualification and register to ensure understanding of guidelines, fees, and fines.

Registering gives property owners and even some tenants opportunities to supplement their incomes. As part of the process, registered units pay a transient occupancy tax.

Those who register can also host paying guests anytime they are home.

Prospective homeowners also should use the City’s short-term rental registration site to check their assumptions about financing. Not all sellers or realtors accurately disclose whether a property qualifies for the types of rentals listed on sites like AirBnB or VRBO.

Local rules governing short-term rentals strive to balance competing needs – allowing guests to pay for short-term stays in private residences while also limiting the conversion of much-needed housing into vacation rentals. Limiting housing supply intensifies demand, making a regional crisis worse for Berkeleyans. 

To learn more and see if your property qualifies, visit our short-term rental page.

Verify and Register the home or unit that you live in

Use our registration portal to certify your property for short-term or vacation rental – and avoid the fines for failure to do so.  

To qualify, the dwelling to be listed as a short-term rental must be:

• your primary residence (a separate ADU or unit would not qualify)
• approved by the property owner if you are a tenant
• covered by liability insurance of $1,000,000
• located in one of the following zones: R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-S, R-SMU, C-C, C-U, C-NS, C-SA, C-T, C-DMU, C-W, MUR - Including any of these zones within the Hillside (H) overlay (Look up your parcel.)

Our short-term rental page provides more information on how and what you’ll need to apply, what might make your property ineligible, and more.

Renters in Berkeley may get long-term tenant rights if they stay for 14 days or more.  If your unit doesn’t qualify as a short-term rental, contact the Rent Board to see if you can register your property for longer periods.

Requirements for hosts

Those who rent their living space for the short term pay a $220 non-refundable application fee, a $5.50 processing fee, a 12 percent transient occupancy tax, and a 2 percent monthly enforcement fee. Those can all be paid online.

Hosts are also required to notify residents of all adjacent properties that you are using your home as a short-term rental, and they must provide all guests with a copy of the Short-Term Rental Guest Requirements letter when booking and upon arrival.

It is important to register before renting because the City uses data from third-party websites to get the name, address, and photos of sites that are not registered with the City. Those who don’t register face penalties of $100 per day or more.

If you’re seeking to use part or all of your home to host short-term rentals, verify whether your property qualifies and, if it does, register to ensure understanding of guidelines, fees, and fines.

Links:

• Short-term rentals: rules and requirements
• Short-term rental registration portal
• Parcel look up tool
• Short-term Rental Tax Payment Form
• Look up certified short-term rentals