Frequently Asked Questions

The Residential Rental Registration will require each rental unit in the City limits to be registered annually.  Rental units include: single-family homes (attached or detached), mobile and manufactured homes (not space rental), duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, apartments, rented accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and any room rented in a home share situation. The ordinance does not apply to rental units located outside City limits.

The registration of units and collection of rental data serves as foundational support to the City Council’s stated intent to establish a Costa Hawkins based rent control program. The City needs registration to fully understand what units would be affected by rent control. Further, registration of all units allows the City to enhance tenant/landlord relations overall.

The Rental Registration will not negatively impact you as a tenant. The ordinance precludes the pass-through of any registration, late fees, or citations to a tenant. Further, registration of all units allows the City to enhance tenant/landlord relations overall. Registration provides the City with greater capability to provide information about renter rights.  

Landlords are responsible to cover the cost of the registration fee. The Rental Registration will require annual registration of each residential unit owned and operated in Half Moon Bay. Landlord means an owner, lessor, or sublessor who receives or is entitled to receive Rent for the use and occupancy of any Residential Rental Unit or portion thereof, and includes any legal entity or other individuals, employees, agents, contractors, and subcontractors that comprise or represent the Landlord.

There is no registration fee for early registrations completed between June 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024. Beginning July 1, 2024, there will be a registration fee of $75 per unit. Starting September 1 of each calendar year, late fees will be administered in addition to that calendar year’s registration fee.  Registration is complete only when all required information has been provided to the City and all outstanding fees, penalties, and citations, if applicable, have been paid.

A landlord’s failure to pay the annual Residential Rental Registration Fees will result in the City taking the following options.

1. Issue a delinquency notice to the Landlord/Owner that provides up to fifteen calendar days to pay the amount due.
2. If not paid within the fifteen (15) calendar days following the issuance of the delinquency notice, the City shall assess a penalty if ten (10) percent of the Residential Rental Registry Fee, due payable with the compliance fee on the first day of the month following the due date provided in the delinquency notice.
3. For every thirty (30) calendar days thereafter that the Residential Rental Registry fees remain unpaid, the City shall assess a penalty of ten (10) percent of the Rental Registry Fee. If the Rental Registry Fees remain unpaid within ninety (90) calendar days following the issuance of the delinquency notice, the Landlord shall be subject to a citation described in Title 4, Chapter 4.16 (Administrative Enforcement) of the Half Moon Bay Municipal Code.

The City may collect any past due Residential Rental Registry Fees and late payment penalties by use of all available legal means, including, but not limited to, means available for the collection of judgments, liens, and actions for recovery of money. The City may also recover its collection costs.

1. The name, mailing address, phone number, and email address of the owner, landlord, and property manager as applicable.
2. The street address (and unit number where applicable) of each Residential Unit or portion thereof for rent or lease.
3. The Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) that each Residential Rental Unit for rent or lease is located.
4. The number of bedrooms and bathrooms in each unit; including square footage
5. The occupancy status of each Residential Rental Unit
6. The number of individuals currently residing in the unit, if occupied
7. Where applicable, the number of rooms individually rented
8.  The current amount of the monthly rent charged for each Residential Rental Unit, identifying whether the monthly rent includes specified utilities (e.g., water, sewer, solid waste disposal, natural gas, electricity, etc.)
9. Whether or not the unit’s monthly rent is subsidized (e.g., such as through a housing voucher or another subsidy).

Due to the sensitivity of the information being shared, all data collected by the City for the City will remain confidential. 

All registration fees can be submitted on the Rental Registry Portal.

The per-unit fee encompasses various operational expenses, including but not limited to: management of the registration portal, maintenance of a comprehensive rental property database, enforcement of registration regulations, implementation of outreach and educational initiatives, conflict resolution efforts, and any other pertinent services as determined by the City. These user fees have been calibrated in consideration of these anticipated expenditures.