Best Ways to Reduce Vacancy in San Diego

This guide is for owners of San Diego rental homes, condos and small apartment buildings who want their units to sit empty for fewer days. Every vacant month is rent you do not get back, and in a market where new apartments keep opening, the owners who price, list and screen well tend to fill first.

It starts with what the vacancy numbers actually say, because the published figures disagree for good reasons. Then it covers nine practical steps, each tied to a source or a California rule, as of September 2026.

What the vacancy numbers say

Different sources measure different things, so their figures do not match. A countywide survey of every rental unit is not the same as a report on larger apartment buildings, and asking rents on listings are not the same as rents tenants are paying today.

Two more numbers from the Kidder Mathews report explain the pressure: 4,785 apartment units had been delivered year to date as of Q2 2026, and 11,800 were under construction. More supply and flat rents mean renters have choices, and a unit that is overpriced or hard to apply for waits longer.

1. Price from this month's comparables, not last year's rent

Apartment List showed the City of San Diego median rent flat year over year in September 2026, and Kidder Mathews had average asking rents up less than 1% in Q2 2026. In a flat market, the rent you got two years ago or the increase you hoped for may be above what renters will pay now. Price against listings that are active today, near your property, with similar size, parking, laundry and condition. A small price cut in the first week often costs less than an extra month empty.

2. Advertise the total monthly price

Since 1 July 2024, SB 478 (Civil Code section 1770(a)(29)) has required an advertised price to include all mandatory fees other than government taxes. If a unit has a mandatory monthly fee, put it in the advertised rent rather than revealing it later. The California Attorney General's hidden-fees guidance is the primary reference on how far this reaches into rent advertising. A price that holds up from listing to lease also avoids losing applicants late in the process.

Separately, SB 611 bans charging a tenant a fee for paying rent or a deposit by check, and bans fees for serving notices. Leave both out of your fee schedule.

3. Time lease endings for the busy season

Apartment List's research (9 July 2025) found that national rents peak in June and July and are lowest in November, about 1.6% apart. We found no San Diego-specific seasonal data, so treat this as a national pattern. The practical use: when you sign a new lease in the off season, consider a term that ends in late spring or summer, so the next turnover lands when more renters are looking.

4. Allow pets, with a clear written policy

Zillow reported on 2 July 2025 that 58% of renters have pets. In San Diego, 59% of listings allowed pets, and pet-friendly units rented 4 days faster than those that did not. Saying no to pets shrinks the pool of applicants.

The law here is simpler than many owners think. AB 2216, the 2024 bill that would have limited pet refusals, died in the Senate on 30 November 2024. AB 2609, a 2026 bill to cap pet rent and pet deposits, stalled in Assembly Judiciary after its hearing was canceled on 27 April 2026. So California has no pet-acceptance mandate and no state cap on pet rent. Two rules still apply: any pet deposit counts toward the one-month cap on total security in Civil Code section 1950.5, and assistance animals are a disability accommodation, not pets, so pet fees and pet rent cannot be charged for them.

5. List where San Diego renters search

Most listing sites are free for a landlord. Zillow Rental Manager is free to post, with an optional $39.99 Premium upgrade for up to 90 days, and listings also appear on Trulia and HotPads. Craigslist San Diego rental posts are free. AHRN.com is a free listing site used for military relocations, which matters near Naval Base San Diego, NAS North Island and MCAS Miramar. Our guide to the best rental listing sites for San Diego landlords compares costs and reach.

Watch the wording in every ad. "No Section 8" is illegal in California, because source of income, including housing vouchers, is protected under Government Code section 12955. A blanket "no felons" line is also illegal under the state's fair-chance housing rules.

6. Screen quickly, and follow the 2025 screening rules

Slow screening loses good applicants to the next listing. Since 1 January 2025, AB 2493 (amending Civil Code section 1950.6) lets a landlord charge an application screening fee only if, when the fee is collected, the landlord offers one of two processes:

• First-come review. Complete applications are considered in the order received under written screening criteria, and the first applicant who meets them is approved. A fee taken from an applicant who is never considered must be refunded within 7 days.
• Refund to everyone not selected. Every applicant who is not chosen gets the full fee back within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days of applying, whichever comes first.

The landlord must also send each applicant a copy of their credit report within 7 days. The fee itself can never exceed actual cost; the statutory cap is adjusted for inflation, and published 2026 estimates run from about $60 to $66. A landlord may accept a reusable screening report but is not required to. See our guide to tenant screening services for landlords.

7. Have the unit fully ready before the first showing

A unit that shows with open repairs rents slower and draws lower offers. Two items are now legal requirements, not extras: for leases entered into, amended or extended on or after 1 January 2026, AB 628 (Civil Code section 1941.1) requires a working stove and a working refrigerator. And for tenancies beginning on or after 1 July 2025, AB 2801 requires move-in photos immediately before or at the start of the tenancy, so finish the work, then photograph it. Our guide to upgrades that raise rent in San Diego covers what is worth doing between tenants.

8. Make applying and showing easy

Renters compare several units at once, and the listing that answers their questions first gets the application. Put the essentials in the ad: total monthly price, deposit, pet policy, parking, laundry, utilities included, and available date. Give written screening criteria with the application, which the first-come process under AB 2493 requires anyway. Reply to inquiries the same day, and offer showing times outside working hours.

9. Keep the tenant you have

The shortest vacancy is the one that never starts. Offer renewals well before a lease ends, fix repair requests quickly, and keep any increase within what the market supports. For covered units, AB 1482 (Civil Code section 1947.12) caps increases in San Diego County at 8.2% for increases effective 1 August 2026 through 31 July 2027, but the cap is a ceiling, not a target. In a flat market, a smaller increase that keeps a good tenant can cost less than a turnover, cleaning and a month of vacancy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the rental vacancy rate in San Diego?

It depends on the source and what it measures. The Census American Community Survey for 2024 puts all rental units in San Diego County at about 4.3% vacant, by our calculation from its tables. Kidder Mathews reported 5.5% for San Diego apartment buildings in Q2 2026, up from 4.9% a year earlier. The Southern California Rental Housing Association's March 2025 survey found 3.6% countywide and 3.12% in the City of San Diego.

Do I have to allow pets in my San Diego rental?

No. As of September 2026, California has no law requiring landlords to accept pets. AB 2216 died in 2024 and AB 2609 stalled in committee in 2026. Assistance animals are different: they are a disability accommodation, and pet fees cannot be charged for them.

Can I advertise the rent and add fees later?

Not for mandatory fees. Under SB 478 (Civil Code section 1770(a)(29)), in effect since 1 July 2024, an advertised price must include all mandatory fees except government taxes. The Attorney General's hidden-fees guidance is the place to check how it applies to your listing.

When is the best time to list a San Diego rental?

National data from Apartment List shows rents peak in June and July and bottom out in November. There is no San Diego-specific figure, but setting lease terms so turnovers fall in late spring or summer follows that pattern.

Laws and market numbers change, so check them against the date you list. This is general information, not legal advice.

To compare firms that handle lease-up for owners, see our list of San Diego property management companies. McKee Properties markets, shows and screens for San Diego owners; see our leasing services or contact us.