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Los Angeles / Malibu / South Bay · Market pulse

Malibu Vacation Rental Market Pulse.

Use this local pulse to understand the seasonal rhythm, guest story and market questions that can shape a property plan. Bring the details of your home into the next conversation.

See your property’s opportunityExplore Los Angeles / Malibu / South Bay management

Existing owner? Access your Owner Portal

The short answerMalibu 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. There is no onsite-host or primary-residence requirement currently in effect, which makes Malibu the most workable jurisdiction in this market for an owner who lives elsewhere. That position rests on a Coastal Commission decision rather than on a settled local rule, so it is worth rechecking before every listing change.

What decides the answer here

Three things an owner should understand before anything else.

The permit is not optional

The City states that advertising or operating residential property as a short-term rental without a permit violates Ordinance No. 468, with penalties of $1,000 per day or violation, or twice the advertised daily rental rate per day, whichever is higher. The permit exists before the listing, not after the first booking.

The hosted ordinance is adopted but dormant

Ordinance No. 472 would require an onsite host, primary residency and multifamily restrictions. The City says those regulations cannot take effect until the Local Coastal Program amendment is certified by the California Coastal Commission, and the Commission voted to deny that amendment on August 12, 2022 — reasoning that an onsite-host requirement would reduce short-term rental availability in a city without enough other accommodation to make up the loss.

Septic is a permit condition

Since January 1, 2023 owners must hold a valid onsite wastewater treatment system operating permit or have entered a compliance agreement with the City. Without it, the City says the short-term rental permit becomes invalid. On this coast that is an operating obligation with a renewal date, not a filing-cabinet item.

Sources

Guest and operating reality

What a Malibu stay actually asks of the home.

  • The guest comes for the coast and the privacy. Discover Los Angeles names Malibu beaches including El Matador and Point Dume among the county’s best. Credible beach, canyon or Pacific Coast Highway access is the story; a generic attraction list is not.
  • Access and parking need writing down. Arrival instructions on this stretch of coast are genuinely complicated, and a vague one produces a phone call at 9pm. Count the real spaces and describe the approach as it is.
  • The Code of Conduct is posted, not emailed. The City requires owners to give guests its Short-Term Rental Code of Conduct and post it on the inside of the main entrance door or directly adjacent.
  • Transient occupancy tax applies under Municipal Code 3.24. The City’s residential tax page records a rate increase from 12% to 15% effective January 1, 2021. Confirm the current rate with the City before the first booking.
  • Salt and wind set the maintenance cycle. Outdoor furniture, fixings and exposed hardware age faster here than inland, and the replacement line belongs in the budget from the start.
No average daily rate, occupancy or revenue figures appear on this page. Those are property-specific and are handled in the Owner Portal against your real address and permit status.

Malibu owner questions

Do I have to live in the home to rent it short-term in Malibu?

Not under the rules currently in effect. Malibu's Hosted Ordinance No. 472 would add an onsite-host and primary-residence requirement, but the City says it cannot take effect until the associated Local Coastal Program amendment is certified, and the Coastal Commission denied that amendment on August 12, 2022. Checked 2026-09-20. Recheck before a listing change, because a future amendment would alter this materially.

What happens if I advertise before the permit is issued?

The City treats it as a violation of Ordinance No. 468, with penalties stated as $1,000 per day or violation, or twice the advertised short-term rental's daily rental rate per day, whichever is higher. Advertising without a permit is itself the violation, not just renting without one.

Does my septic system affect the permit?

Yes. Since January 1, 2023 the City requires a valid onsite wastewater treatment system operating permit or a compliance agreement with the City, and states that without compliance the short-term rental permit becomes invalid. Treat it as a live condition of operating, with its own renewal date.

Next step

See what your Malibu home could do.

Continue to the Owner Portal for a property-specific conversation. Prospective owners choose I'm considering the program. Existing owners sign in as an owner. Nothing about your home is sent from this page.

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Casago SoCal, a DBA of Acme CA Vacations, Inc. California DRE #02439360. Michael Flannery, Designated Broker.