Here's something you might be interested in.
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More places to rent in San Diego than ever?
Find a neighborhood you like, then go ride your bicycle around
Tenney North Park – new eight-story complex with 28 studios, 24 two-bedroom units, and 73 one-bedroom units.
San Diegans say they’re seeing more rentals online than in recent years, which feels odd during a housing shortage. Zillow lists the average rental at $3,000 — about 50% higher than the U.S. norm; there are over 20,000 rentals in San Diego County listed on the site.
“The primary reason that we have a lot of rentals is because of government overreach,” said Ash Zarkis. “And you have to pick the perfect tenant with the perfect credit score because if you get a bad tenant, it will cost you about 50K to evict them.”
Zarkis, a Los Angeles and San Diego real estate investor, was referring to newer local and state regulations — including AB 1482 and SB 567 — which increased requirements and penalties for invalid evictions. The $50K figure, he explained, is possible if a tenant-landlord dispute drags on for a couple of years and includes nonpayment, property damage, and legal fees. Then came the 2023 San Diego Tenant Protection Ordinance, which added local just-cause and relocation requirements.
"It has been since 2004 was the last year we built as much housing in a given year."
Due to these changes, many property owners are being extra cautious with their tenants to safeguard their investments. Some are still recovering from the financial losses brought on by the COVID-era eviction moratorium. “That’s why you are seeing more rentals available online now,” Zarkis concluded. “And honestly, we are getting tired of losing money here in California and reinvesting it in other states where we are welcomed.”
Johny, a property manager from Otay Ranch, agrees, adding that rentals are “popping up everywhere throughout our county because a lot of people moving from here are moving out of state. Cost of living is way too high, and high rents do not help.”
We left San Diego in 2019 and now live mainly in Arizona, where I've found a community of former San Diegans. Many of us have bought homes here, paying mortgages that are often lower than rent back home — and with cheaper gas, electricity, and even HOA fees, it’s easy to see why we became Zonies. And we're only five hours away. There are so many of us San Diegans here that we cause traffic jams on freeways and highways leaving home before 3-day weekends.
When I return to San Diego, I always notice new, massive apartment complexes rising in my former North Park and Normal Heights neighborhoods, as well as throughout the county. Nearly 9,000 new homes have been permitted in San Diego this year, according to CBS 8, as of September. Stephen Russel, president and CEO of the San Diego Housing Federation, spoke about the significance of this jump.
"It has led to the greatest surge of housing in San Diego in twenty years," he said in the report. "It has been since 2004 was the last year we built as much housing in a given year that we actually need on an annual basis."
Many of these new buildings are rentals.
Folks online point out that with new short-term rental taxes hitting, some property owners are reverting to long-term leases instead.
And while rental prices here remain among the highest in the country despite the flood of listings, one old-school method still works — talking to people and looking in real life. On Reddit, Dexter_McThorpan offered this advice: “Find a neighborhood you like, then go ride your bicycle around and look for For Rent signs. There are lots of spots that never get listed online.” VoiceOfGosh agreed, “So true! We found a place $600 less than our previous place and 200 sq./ft. bigger! We just walked around the neighborhood we liked and found it, along with like, two other viable options.”
Many property owners prefer dealing with tenants directly and pocketing the fees they’d otherwise give up to a property management company, which can take up to 12 percent. With an average three-bedroom unit renting for $3,859 per month, according to Apartments.com, that’s about $460 a month — or more than $5,500 a year — that, skipping management fees, stays in the owner’s pocket.
Here's something you might be interested in.
More places to rent in San Diego than ever?
Find a neighborhood you like, then go ride your bicycle around
More places to rent in San Diego than ever?
Find a neighborhood you like, then go ride your bicycle around
Tenney North Park – new eight-story complex with 28 studios, 24 two-bedroom units, and 73 one-bedroom units.
San Diegans say they’re seeing more rentals online than in recent years, which feels odd during a housing shortage. Zillow lists the average rental at $3,000 — about 50% higher than the U.S. norm; there are over 20,000 rentals in San Diego County listed on the site.
“The primary reason that we have a lot of rentals is because of government overreach,” said Ash Zarkis. “And you have to pick the perfect tenant with the perfect credit score because if you get a bad tenant, it will cost you about 50K to evict them.”
Zarkis, a Los Angeles and San Diego real estate investor, was referring to newer local and state regulations — including AB 1482 and SB 567 — which increased requirements and penalties for invalid evictions. The $50K figure, he explained, is possible if a tenant-landlord dispute drags on for a couple of years and includes nonpayment, property damage, and legal fees. Then came the 2023 San Diego Tenant Protection Ordinance, which added local just-cause and relocation requirements.
"It has been since 2004 was the last year we built as much housing in a given year."
Due to these changes, many property owners are being extra cautious with their tenants to safeguard their investments. Some are still recovering from the financial losses brought on by the COVID-era eviction moratorium. “That’s why you are seeing more rentals available online now,” Zarkis concluded. “And honestly, we are getting tired of losing money here in California and reinvesting it in other states where we are welcomed.”
Johny, a property manager from Otay Ranch, agrees, adding that rentals are “popping up everywhere throughout our county because a lot of people moving from here are moving out of state. Cost of living is way too high, and high rents do not help.”
We left San Diego in 2019 and now live mainly in Arizona, where I've found a community of former San Diegans. Many of us have bought homes here, paying mortgages that are often lower than rent back home — and with cheaper gas, electricity, and even HOA fees, it’s easy to see why we became Zonies. And we're only five hours away. There are so many of us San Diegans here that we cause traffic jams on freeways and highways leaving home before 3-day weekends.
When I return to San Diego, I always notice new, massive apartment complexes rising in my former North Park and Normal Heights neighborhoods, as well as throughout the county. Nearly 9,000 new homes have been permitted in San Diego this year, according to CBS 8, as of September. Stephen Russel, president and CEO of the San Diego Housing Federation, spoke about the significance of this jump.
"It has led to the greatest surge of housing in San Diego in twenty years," he said in the report. "It has been since 2004 was the last year we built as much housing in a given year that we actually need on an annual basis."
Many of these new buildings are rentals.
Folks online point out that with new short-term rental taxes hitting, some property owners are reverting to long-term leases instead.
And while rental prices here remain among the highest in the country despite the flood of listings, one old-school method still works — talking to people and looking in real life. On Reddit, Dexter_McThorpan offered this advice: “Find a neighborhood you like, then go ride your bicycle around and look for For Rent signs. There are lots of spots that never get listed online.” VoiceOfGosh agreed, “So true! We found a place $600 less than our previous place and 200 sq./ft. bigger! We just walked around the neighborhood we liked and found it, along with like, two other viable options.”
Many property owners prefer dealing with tenants directly and pocketing the fees they’d otherwise give up to a property management company, which can take up to 12 percent. With an average three-bedroom unit renting for $3,859 per month, according to Apartments.com, that’s about $460 a month — or more than $5,500 a year — that, skipping management fees, stays in the owner’s pocket.
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