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Casago SoCal, a DBA of Acme CA Vacations, Inc. California DRE #02439360. Michael Flannery, Designated Broker.
California · Los Angeles, Malibu and the South Bay
This is the most restrictive market on our map, and pretending otherwise would waste your time. Inside the City of Los Angeles, short-term rental is limited to a host’s own primary residence, so an investment home there has no short-stay path. The owner path here runs along the coast — Malibu, and the coastal zones of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach — plus stays of 30 nights and over elsewhere. Start with the parcel.
Existing owner? Access your Owner Portal
Every statement above is sourced and dated in the regulation watch and in the jurisdiction table further down this page. None of it is legal advice, and none of it settles your parcel — that takes an address-level check.
The three Ms here
In most markets the plan starts with pricing. Here it starts with whether the home may host a short stay at all, and the answer changes across a city line or the edge of the coastal zone.
Management of revenue
A permitted coastal home in Malibu or Hermosa Beach is priced as a short-stay property, around beach season, weekends and holiday weeks. A home in a jurisdiction that requires owner occupancy is priced as a 30-night-plus furnished stay, which is a slower, steadier calendar with different costs. Rates, minimum stays and your own dates are set with you either way.
Marketing the home
Discover Los Angeles describes 75 miles of coastline and a county best explored neighborhood by neighborhood. That is exactly how a listing should read. Photography and copy built on real walking distance, real parking and real access, with any City registration number displayed as the jurisdiction requires.
Maintenance and care
Coastal exposure corrodes hardware and fades exteriors faster than inland. Beach-city blocks are narrow, parking is scarce and quiet hours are enforced. Malibu homes on septic carry an onsite wastewater permit obligation. Care schedules are built around reservations and around the neighbors.
Guest fit
The guest story splits along the same line the rules do. Short-stay demand concentrates on the coast, where a permitted home can take a beach week. Everything else in this market is a longer furnished stay, and that guest wants something different from a beach rental.
Area lenses
Cards that link lead somewhere an owner can go. Cards that do not link are areas where a non-owner-occupied short-term rental is excluded, and we would rather say so here than after you have furnished the house.
Malibu
Twenty-one miles of coast with a working STR Rental Permit program. The City’s hosted ordinance, which would add an onsite-host and primary-residence requirement, is not in effect because the Coastal Commission denied the amendment it depends on.
Open the Malibu pageHermosa Beach
The City allows short-term rentals in the coastal zone and on C-2, C-3, SPA 7 and SPA 8 properties outside it, with a business license and transient occupancy tax. The City page sets no primary-residence condition.
Open the Hermosa Beach pageManhattan Beach
The City bans short-term rentals in residential zones, but states a 2022 Court of Appeal opinion held the ban does not reach the Coastal Zone. Which side of that line the parcel falls on decides the whole question.
Open the Manhattan Beach pageCity of Los Angeles — Venice, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Palisades, San Pedro
City Planning restricts Home-Sharing to a host’s own primary residence. An investment home inside city limits cannot be registered, whatever the neighborhood is worth as a guest story. The only conversation left is a stay of 30 nights or more.
Santa Monica and Redondo Beach
Santa Monica prohibits rentals under 30 days when the host does not live on site. Redondo Beach’s Code Enforcement page states plainly that short term and vacation rentals are not allowed. Neither is a market we can present a short-stay plan for.
Not sure which lens fits?
City boundaries and the coastal zone edge run through neighborhoods here, not around them. The playbook works through fit, seasons, amenities and the jurisdiction question one at a time, with the official source on each answer.
Open the playbookThe operating year
Qualitative planning context drawn from official sources and ordinary coastal operating practice. Not a demand forecast and not a monthly revenue allocation.
Storm runoff, drainage and roof checks matter more than anything on the listing. A quieter stretch for a coastal short-stay home and a natural window for longer furnished bookings, exterior repair and the rule recheck that should precede any new calendar year.
Permits and registrations here run on annual cycles, and the City of Los Angeles is moving its Home-Sharing applications and renewals to a new portal on September 28, 2026. Refresh outdoor seating, entry lighting and linens, and confirm nothing about the permit has quietly changed.
Sand, salt and wet gear drive the turnover routine. Rinse areas, durable towels, secure outdoor furniture and precise parking instructions carry the stay. Quiet hours and trash timing are where beach-city complaints actually start.
Service outdoor furnishings, check weatherproofing and corrosion on coastal hardware, and verify that internet, workspace, kitchen and laundry hold up for a 30-night-plus guest. Recheck private governing documents before changing any minimum stay.
Amenities with a purpose
Rules and jurisdictions
A marketing area is not a permit boundary. Match the parcel to its city or to unincorporated county first, establish whether it sits inside the coastal zone, then check use, taxes and private restrictions separately.
| Property area / authority | What to check | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the City of Los Angeles — including Venice, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Westchester, San Pedro and Pacific PalisadesNo investment path | The City permits only Home-Sharing, and City Planning states the program “restricts eligibility to Angelenos’ primary residences in order to prevent the wholesale conversion of homes into guest accommodations.” A host registers online, displays the registration number on every advertisement and listing, and renews every 12 months. A home that is not the host’s own primary residence does not qualify, so a non-owner-occupied investment property inside city limits has no short-term-rental path at all. The City’s own comparison chart puts Regular Home-Sharing at up to 120 days per calendar year and Extended Home-Sharing at up to 365, with Extended requiring an active Regular registration first. Homes under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, the Ellis Act, a low-income restriction or an affordable housing covenant are excluded. City Planning has announced that updated Administrative Guidelines and a new Home-Sharing Application and Registration Portal take effect on September 28, 2026. | Home-Sharing, Los Angeles City Planning Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of MalibuPermit program | Malibu requires a permit for any home rented for 30 days or less, and since January 15, 2021 a short-term rental may only be conducted under a valid STR Rental Permit. Advertising or operating without one is a violation. The City’s Hosted Ordinance No. 472, which would add an onsite-host requirement, primary residency requirements and multifamily restrictions, cannot take effect until the associated Local Coastal Program amendment is certified by the California Coastal Commission — and the Commission voted to deny that amendment on August 12, 2022. So the hosted and primary-residence requirements are not in force today. Transient occupancy tax applies under Municipal Code 3.24; the City page puts the rate at 15% effective January 1, 2021. Owners also need an onsite wastewater treatment system operating permit or a compliance agreement. | Short-Term Rental Program, City of Malibu Checked 2026-09-20 STR Ordinances In Progress, City of Malibu Checked 2026-09-20 Transient Occupancy Tax: Residential, City of Malibu Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of Santa MonicaHost must live on site | Santa Monica’s Homesharing and Vacation Rentals Ordinance prohibits short-term vacation rentals, which the City defines as rentals of less than 30 days when a host does not live on site, and permits homesharing, rentals of less than 30 days when a host does live on site, subject to regulation. A non-owner-occupied home has no short-stay path here. The City’s separate minimum-lease requirements are a further consideration for longer residential leasing. | Housing Protection, City of Santa Monica Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of Manhattan BeachCoastal Zone only | Short-term rentals are banned in residential zones. Ordinance No. 19-0007, adopted April 16, 2019, left the prohibition on renting in residential zones for less than 30 days intact, extended it to renters and lessees, and prohibited maintaining advertisements. The City also states that on April 4, 2022 the Court of Appeal held the ban does not apply to properties within the Coastal Zone, and that short-term rentals remain banned outside it. Coastal Zone status is determined from the City’s zoning map or interactive GIS map, parcel by parcel. Every short-term rental needs a City business license and must levy, collect and remit transient occupancy tax. The City page also describes a temporary allowance outside the Coastal Zone for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a Council item; it is a consideration on the page, not confirmed policy. | Short-Term Rentals, City of Manhattan Beach Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of Hermosa BeachNamed zones | The City says that in response to a recent legal decision short-term rentals are now allowed in the coastal zone and in commercial zones previously established by the pilot program, specifically properties zoned C-2, C-3, SPA 7 or SPA 8 outside the coastal zone. A short-term rental is defined in HBMC 17.04 as under 30 consecutive days. A City business license is required, operators pay transient occupancy tax, and a 24-hour maintenance and management contact must be provided. The City page states no primary-residence requirement. Confirm the parcel’s zone and coastal status with the City before marketing. | Short-Term Rentals, City of Hermosa Beach Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of Redondo BeachProhibited | The City’s Code Enforcement page lists, among the violations it acts on, that short term and vacation rentals are not allowed, naming rentals of less than 30 days. There is no owner path here to present for a short-stay plan. A furnished stay of 30 nights or more is a different question and a different body of law; confirm it with the City and against the home’s private governing documents. | Code Enforcement, City of Redondo Beach Checked 2026-09-20 |
| City of TorranceCommercial zones only | Torrance Municipal Code 92.43.020 requires a Planning Administrative Action for any short-term rental advertised, operated or located in the City. In commercial zones — C-1 through C-5, C-R, R-P, the commercial sector of the Downtown Torrance District and the Hawthorne Boulevard Corridor sub-districts — short-term rentals are permitted in residences. In residential zones such as R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-TH, R-MF and P-D, short-term rentals “solely operated as a home share” are permitted, and 92.43.010 defines a home share as lodging provided “while the host lives on site.” An unpermitted short-term rental is unlawful and a declared public nuisance, with each day a separate offense. | Torrance Municipal Code, Division 9 (92.43) Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Unincorporated Los Angeles CountyPrimary residence | County Planning states that Title 7 “limits STRs to registered primary residences, requires annual registration, limits the number of days to 90 in a calendar year in the primary residence rented without a host present overnight, and limits the number of guests allowed.” Title 22 allows short-term rentals only as an accessory use to an existing dwelling unit in zones that permit residential uses. The Treasurer and Tax Collector requires a Short-Term Rental Registration Certificate before renting, and hosts collect and pay transient occupancy tax within 30 days of the rental start date. The same County page says its registration requirements do not apply to properties in coastal zones, where it describes short-term rentals as currently unregulated — which is a County statement about County registration, not a clearance under the Coastal Act. This row never applies to an address inside an incorporated city. | Short-Term Rentals Ordinance, LA County Planning Checked 2026-09-20 Short-Term Rentals, LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector Checked 2026-09-20 |
| California Coastal Commission — coastal zoneCoastal Act | Much of this market sits inside the coastal zone, and that changes what a city can do. In guidance to coastal planning and development directors the Commission states that regulating short-term rentals is a change in the intensity of use and of access to the shoreline and so constitutes development to which the Coastal Act and Local Coastal Programs must apply, and that it has not historically supported blanket vacation rental bans, having found such programs inconsistent with the Coastal Act because prohibitions unduly limit public recreational access. The Commission also notes restrictions may be appropriate where supply is already ample and further growth would impair community character. Two local outcomes follow: Malibu’s hosted ordinance is still not in effect, and Manhattan Beach’s ban was held not to reach its coastal zone. None of this is a permit, and it does not override a city’s certified program. | Short-Term/Vacation Rentals in the California Coastal Zone, California Coastal Commission Checked 2026-09-20 |
| Transient occupancy taxCity or county | Transient occupancy tax in California is imposed by the city or the county, not by the state tax agency, so the rate and the filing route change with the jurisdiction. Malibu levies it under Municipal Code 3.24, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach both require operators to collect and remit it, hosts in unincorporated Los Angeles County pay the County within 30 days of the rental start date, and hosts in the City of Los Angeles remit to the City alongside a per-night fee. Register in the right place before the first booking. | Transient Occupancy Tax: Residential, City of Malibu Checked 2026-09-20 Short-Term Rentals, LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector Checked 2026-09-20 |
| HOA, condominium, CC&Rs, deeds, leases and building rulesPrivate governing documents | No city or county source decides whether a private community permits the intended rental use, guest parking or amenity access. Coastal condominium and townhome buildings across this market are governed by documents that can be stricter than any municipal rule, and a City permit is not private permission. Read the current documents and obtain any written determination before the home is marketed. | Further verification needed |
Programs that travel with the home
Base management runs the fundamentals. Defined programs cover guest readiness, utility control, preventative care and connectivity, each confirmed for your property rather than sold as a set.
360 Service Bundle
Linen and terry, Smart Home, preventative maintenance, AdVantage marketing and managed connectivity, with what is included and what changes made explicit.
Explore the programsSmart Home Program
Casago’s smart home platform ties thermostats, locks and pool equipment to the booking calendar, which matters on a coast where an unattended home takes weather it did not ask for.
See how it worksOwner decision tools
Owner-use calendar capacity and amenity break-even, with every input labeled as yours or illustrative. Educational, not a quote.
Open the toolsKeep researching
Owner playbook
Market pulse
Regulation watch
Amenity intelligence
Local insights
Owner Answer Center
No. Los Angeles City Planning's Home-Sharing page, checked 2026-09-20, states that the program "restricts eligibility to Angelenos' primary residences in order to prevent the wholesale conversion of homes into guest accommodations." A home that is not your own primary residence cannot be registered, so there is no lawful short-term-rental path for it inside city limits. That covers Venice, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Westchester, San Pedro and Pacific Palisades among others. A furnished stay of 30 nights or more is a separate question governed by different rules.
A shorter list than the destination name suggests. The City of Malibu runs an STR Rental Permit program with no onsite-host or primary-residence requirement currently in effect. Hermosa Beach allows short-term rentals in the coastal zone and on C-2, C-3, SPA 7 and SPA 8 properties outside it. Manhattan Beach's ban was held by the Court of Appeal in 2022 not to apply inside the Coastal Zone, per the City's own page. Torrance permits them in commercial zones. Each of those still needs a parcel-level check, a licence and transient occupancy tax registration.
Because the Coastal Act applies there. The California Coastal Commission's guidance to coastal planning directors treats regulating short-term rentals as development subject to the Coastal Act and to Local Coastal Programs, and says it has not historically supported blanket vacation rental bans, having found them inconsistent with the Act because prohibitions unduly limit public recreational access. That is why Malibu's hosted ordinance is still not in effect and why Manhattan Beach's ban does not reach its coastal zone. It is not a permit, and it does not override a certified local program.
Not necessarily, and this is the most common mistake here. A mailing address that reads Los Angeles can sit in an incorporated city with its own ordinance or in unincorporated Los Angeles County, which runs a separate County program limited to registered primary residences with a 90-day unhosted cap. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction and, where it matters, its coastal zone status from the city zoning or GIS map before you plan anything.
No. A municipal permit or registration is not private permission. Homeowners' association rules, condominium documents, CC&Rs, deeds, leases and building rules are separate and can be stricter than any public rule, which is common in coastal buildings across this market. Read the current governing documents and get any written determination before the home is marketed.
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