Rent Registration In Oakland – Information and FAQs

Click hereto read the ordinance amendment.

The Oakland City Council voted on June 21, 2022, to establish a rent registry. This requires owners of units subject to the Rent Adjustment Program fee to report rent and tenancy data to the Oakland Rent Adjustment Program annually. Owners are required to register for the first time no later than July 3, 2023. Starting in 2024, owners must update or confirm their units’ tenancy data annually by March 1.

Owners who do not meet this new requirement will not be able to file petitions for rent increases or impose rent increases, nor will they be able to file responses to tenants’ petitions. Furthermore, the new law establishes failure to register as an affirmative defense in most eviction actions.

In May 2023, the City of Oakland Rent Adjustment Program sent registration notices to owners of residential properties to advise them of Oakland’s new rent registry requirement.

Alameda County records indicate that these properties could include at least one residential unit that is subject to the registration requirement when rented or available for rent. If you received the notice, you or a designated representative must register any units that are rented/available for rent. These units must be registered by July 3, 2023.

If there are no rental units on your property, or if you believe your units are exempt from the registration requirement for another reason, you or a designated representative should claim those units exempt from the registration requirement no later than July 3, 2023.

More information on which units need to be registered and which can be claimed exempt can be found here.

All residential rental units subject to the Rent Adjustment Program Fee must be registered. This includes units that are subject to the Rent Adjustment Ordinance AND/OR units that are subject to the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance.

Most residential rental units in Oakland that were built more than 10 years ago are subject to one or both of these ordinances and must be registered.

This includes the following:

• Rented single-family homes
• Rented condominiums
• Rented Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), junior ADUs, in-law units, or other additional dwelling units on a property
• Vehicular residential facilities (VRFs), such as recreational vehicles and tiny homes on wheels, whether the occupant is renting the VRF and the space on which it is located, or only the space on which it is located.
• Rented units in multifamily properties (2+ units)

More information on which units must be registered and which units are exempt from the registration requirement can be found here.

Owners may register their units by going to the online Rent Registry portal here. Property owners who wish to submit information using the online Rent Registry must provide an email address to create an account.

To access a “Quick Guide” to online registration, please click here. To access a full Rent Registry User Guide, please click here.

*To access a Quick Guide in Spanish, please click here: GUÍA RÁPIDA PARA EL REGISTRO POR INTERNET

*To access a Quick Guide in Chinese, please click here: 網上登記快速指南

Note: The online Rent Registry is best accessed using the most updated versions of Chrome or Firefox browsers. Please be advised, many users are reporting error messages when using Safari as a browser. Please use Chrome or Firefox browsers instead.

While property owners are strongly encouraged to use the online Rent Registry to submit their information, registration forms are also available for download.

Note: Please note that submission of paper forms may cause significant delays in processing your information.

Owners may claim units exempt by going to the online Rent Registry portal here and using the Parcel Number/PIN information included in the registration notice. Owners may also claim an exemption by completing a Property Registration Form.

Note: Submission of paper forms may cause significant delays in processing the registration information.

Owners who do not register covered units by the July 3 deadline will not be able to file petitions for rent increases or impose rent increases, nor will they be able to file responses to tenants’ petitions. Furthermore, the new law establishes failure to register as an affirmative defense in most eviction actions.

The following information is required to register a unit subject to the Rent Registry Ordinance:

• Unit Address and Unit Number/Designation (i.e., #A, #1/2, #4A, etc.)
• Start Date of current tenancy
• Initial Rent of current tenancy
• Current Rent
• Date of last rent increase
• Amount of last rent increase
• Number of occupants
• Security deposit provided at start of tenancy
• Tenant Name
• Tenant Email
• Services included with the rent (i.e., utilities, laundry access, parking, etc.)
• Utilities metering – Submetered, master metered, or unmetered
• Reason that previous tenant vacated (i.e., voluntary vacancy, eviction for just cause, etc.)

Fully owner-occupied units are exempt from the registration requirement. If you received a letter to register, and you owner-occupy your home, then you should claim your unit exempt from the rent registry so as not to receive further registration communications. Owners can claim these units exempt by going to the online Rent Registry and using the Parcel Number/PIN information included in the letter, or by completing a Property Registration Form (Section 11, “Claim an Exemption”). Proof of residency is required.

Please inform RAP of the change via email at rentregistry@oaklandca.gov, with the subject line: Change of Ownership. Please include in your message:

1) The rental property address;

2) Assessor parcel number (Parcel #); and

3) The date of transfer.

RAP will reach out to the new owner to inform them of the registration requirement.

New owners may register the property by completing a Property Registration Form, as well as a Tenancy Registration Form for EACH tenant-occupied, covered unit. More information on registration forms can be found here.

Please contact RAP directly at rentregistry@oaklandca.gov to request the necessary information to register the property. Please provide the property address and assessor parcel number. Or, alternatively, you can register the property immediately by downloading and submitting registration forms.

If either the single-family home OR the ADU is rented, then the rented unit(s) must be registered. The only exception is if the single-family home and the ADU are both ground-up new construction units (i.e., not created as a result of rehabilitation or conversion of existing residential space) that received a Certificate of Occupancy within the past 10 years.

Rented in-law units, junior ADUs, and/or any other additional dwelling unit associated with the single-family home must be registered as well.

If the single-family home is rented, then it should be registered. The only exception is if the house was newly constructed within the past 10 years. If the owner lives in the house as their principal residence and rents out individual bedrooms, then the owner must register each bedroom as a covered rental unit.

Rent Adjustment Regulation Section 8.22.510 requires owners to make a lawful, good-faith effort to obtain all rent and tenancy information required by the Oakland Rent Registry Ordinance. If an owner makes a lawful, good-faith effort to obtain information and cannot, then the owner may offer their best approximation. If the information remains unknown, the owner can state that the information is not known.

The owner must also declare under penalty of perjury that they have made a good faith effort to obtain all information, and that the owner is providing all information to the best of their ability.

Have more questions on registering a tenancy? Go to our Tenancy Registration FAQ page.

A rent registry provides a number of benefits. One of the most important ones is that it helps both owners and tenants understand better whether or not their rents are in compliance with Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Ordinance. Owners will be able to more easily calculate rent increases, and tenants can verify them.

Property owners will have access to all tenancy data for the buildings they own/manage. Tenants will have access to their own unit’s tenancy data.

Note: Personal, identifying information such as tenants’ names and email addresses will NOT be publicly accessible through the rent registry.

RAP is supporting Oakland property owners and managers in the following ways:

“How to Register” Workshops: RAP is offering four workshops during May and June 2023. In these workshops, staff will go over the step-by-step registration process, as well as the process of claiming an exemption. Staff will also answer questions about the registration process.

Register for a workshop here.

Have Questions About the Rent Registry? Contact the Registration team at rentregistry@oaklandca.gov. Please include the property address you are inquiring about. Or call a RAP staff member at (510) 238-3721 during our normal business hours: Monday through Thursday, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.