On November 7, 2023, the City Council held a work session on Tenant Protections, in which interested and concerned members of the Half Moon Bay community participated – including both tenants and landlords. Several Tenant Protections were ultimately agreed to as being most important to the community, and also aligned with the assessments of a majority of Councilmembers. 

One of these tenant protections is Residential Rental Registration. The City Council adopted a Residential Rental Registration Ordinance in February of 2024 which requires landlords to register their residential rental units and provide related information to the City on an annual basis.

The registration process will allow the City to collect, monitor, and analyze the characteristics of the residential rental units and actual rents in Half Moon Bay, with that data to be used to inform future policy decisions. All residential rental units are required to register, including single-family homes, condominiums, ADUs (accessory dwelling units), duplexes, multifamily, etc., at a cost to the landlord/lessor of $75 per unit. 

The period for this required registration will begin June 1 and run through July 31. There will be no fee for “First Year Early Registration” from June 1 – June 30 (this no fee allowance will only be for 2024). Registration will be $75 when submitted from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024. Registration submitted after July 31, 2024 will be $75 and subject to late fees, penalties, and administrative citations. Landlords can register their unit(s) starting June 1 on our website at www.hmbcity.com/rentalregistry.

For any questions about the process please contact Irma Acosta at [email protected].