Palo Alto Rental Registry Program

Welcome to the City of Palo Alto’s Rental Registry Program online portal.

Who Can Use the Portal:

• Rental property owners and property managers use this portal to create accounts, register properties, and report events throughout the year.
• Renters and other members of the public can search for basic information, including the registration status of a rental unit.

What Rental Properties Need to Register:

• Rental Properties with Three or More Units: Most rental properties became fully registered in Program Year 1 (FY 2024-2025) with over 7,500 rental units entered in the portal. Additional rental properties with three or more units will be added in Program Year 2 (FY 2025-2026) before the annual open registration period. Registration or renewal is required each year during the annual open registration period (Fall through early Winter).

What Properties Do Not Need to Register:

• Rental Properties with Two or Fewer Units: These rental properties are currently not required to register during Program Year 1 (FY 2024-2025) or Program Year 2 (FY 2025-2026);
• Non-Residential Properties; and
• Hospitals, extended medical care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, health facilities, or continuing care retirement communities.

What Events Need to be Reported:

If any of the following events occur at a rental unit, it is required to report them within 10 calendar days of occurrence:

• Changes in rental property ownership;
• Rent increases;
• Notices to quit;
• Unlawful detainer filings; and
• Evictions.

Some rental properties may have no required reportable events in a given year. Rental property owners and property managers may also optionally report rent decreases and other information that helps administer their registration.

Additional Information:

Participation in the Rental Registry Program satisfies the separate Landlord Registry requirement under Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 9.72. Rental properties that are not registered in the Rental Registry Program may still need to complete the Landlord Registry Form via the City’s Landlord Resources webpage.

The City will use the data collected by the Rental Registry Program to inform a wide range of rental housing policies.

Thank you to Palo Alto’s rental property owners for providing essential housing to our community.

Please bookmark this page for easy access in the future.

The Rental Registry Program Team – rentalregistry@paloalto.gov

This portal is securely operated by a trusted third-party vendor on behalf of the City of Palo Alto.

To learn more about the Rental Registry Program, please visit www.paloalto.gov/rentalregistry or email rentalregistry@paloalto.gov.