Fully Covered Unit Registration

Overview

Registration includes:

• Unit registration--providing unit information and paying an annual fee for each unit
• Tenancy registration--registering each new tenancy in a unit within 15 days of the tenancy start date

Rent Registry

Fees & Penalties

Registration fees

FY 2025-26 annual registration fees of $344 per unit were due Tuesday, July 1, 2025. 

This fee applies to all fully covered units, including fully covered government-owned and -subsidized units required to register under Measure BB. The Rent Board has adopted an amnesty period for payment of late registration fees for units newly required to register under Measure BB.

Failure to properly register fully covered units may be a defense to an eviction lawsuit. 

Penalties

The Rent Ordinance requires that payments not received in the Rent Board office or postmarked by the due date be assessed a 100% penalty. Another 100% penalty is assessed every six months, so it’s important to pay registration fees and resolve penalties as soon as possible. Owners can request a waiver of penalties but must pay all outstanding registration fees before a waiver request will be considered.  

The typical billing cycle

The Board’s Budget & Personnel Committee makes a recommendation to the full Board about setting the fee, which the Board typically adopts in April or May. All Rent Board and Committee meetings are public, and your participation is encouraged. Sign up for our Board and Committee Meeting email lists to receive notification of meeting dates, agendas, and participation instructions. Registration fee bills are typically sent to owners in April or May. The registration fee is due by July 1 (or the following Monday if July 1 falls on a weekend). Fees must be received in the Rent Board office or postmarked by the due date to be considered timely.

Unit Registration

Units that must be registered as fully covered

• Most units in multifamily properties built before 1980
• Single-family homes with current tenancies that began prior to 1996
• Single-family homes with five or more rooms rented out individually with separate leases (each room is considered a unit)

However, units with the following subsidies that fall into these categories will be partially covered, because Federal law, State law, or administrative regulation exempt such units from rent regulation:

• Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
• Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
• Rent Supplement Program if the project has a mortgage insured or held by HUD
• Section 8 Loan Management Set Aside if the project has a mortgage insured or held by HUD
• Project-based Section 8 if the project has a mortgage insured or held by HUD

Owners of units with these subsidies should visit our partially covered registration page for registration information.

Exemptions

Units that are owner-occupied, for owner’s use only, or occupied rent-free are exempt from the registration requirements. Some owner-occupied duplexes or tenancies on properties containing one single-family home and one accessory dwelling unit may also be exempt. Contact our Registration Unit if you have questions about whether a unit is exempt.

Unit status changes

If a unit changes from exempt to covered by the Rent Ordinance, the owner must register it within 60 days of the change and pay a prorated fee. If a unit becomes exempt, owners can claim most exemptions using the online rent registry portal.

Tenancy Registration

Owners must provide the Rent Board with tenancy information for each unit, including the tenancy start date, number of tenants, tenant contact information, initial rent, housing services included in the rent, number of bedrooms in the unit, and contact information for the owner and/or manager of the property.

New tenancies must be registered within 15 days of the tenancy start date. Register a new tenancy online. 

If the tenancy started on or after December 20, 2024, landlords must also, within fifteen days of the start of a tenancy, give the tenant written notice containing the following information: The existence of and scope of the Rent Ordinance; the tenant’s right to petition against certain rent increases, if applicable; whether the unit is exempt from rent control, and any other partial exemptions which may exist. If the property has an interior common area that all tenants have access to, the landlord must post the notice in the common area. The Rent Board has created a Notice of Tenant Rights Fully Covered Units landlords can use. 

Failure to Register Units

Rental units must be properly registered for owners to take rent increases and/or evict tenants. Proper registration includes filing all Rent Board forms, including all Vacancy Registration forms for current tenancies. Failure to fully comply with registration requirements can be a defense to an eviction lawsuit (unlawful detainer complaint). All eviction lawsuits are filed in superior court, and the Rent Board is unable to provide legal advice.

The Rent Board did NOT adopt a Registration Fee Pass-Through for FY 2025-26

The Berkeley Rent Board did NOT authorize a pass-through for the FY 25-26 registration fee. Landlords may adjust rents as otherwise permitted under the Rent Ordinance, but cannot increase any tenant’s rent as a result of the FY 25-26 registration fee.