The world has changed since last month’s column. The Bay Area has been sheltering in place since March 17, and now, we’re officially staying put until at least May 3. The exact impact of Covid-19 on the Bay Area rental market in the short and long term is still unclear, but it no doubt will be substantial.
Skimming the listings on Craigslist this month, we found a ton of short-term rentals that were clearly spillover from unbooked Airbnb listings, offers for “virtual home tours,” and no shortage of the sketchy rentals we normally see.
Before we get into the listings, though, here are some highlights in the past month from the rental world:
- Worried about paying rent? California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a relief package that includes a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments and a 60-day moratorium on new foreclosure sales or evictions. Renters can also defer April and May payments if they are affected by Covid-19 in any way. Here’s a legal breakdown on what exactly the Governor’s moratorium does.
- Airbnb — both the company, and those who offer their homes on the site — is suffering huge financial blows after allowing guests to cancel existing reservations with no penalty. Airbnb has committed $250 million toward hosts impacted, paying 25% of the fee for canceled reservations from March 14 and May 31.
- Because of Airbnb cancelations, some have reported that rental markets are “exploding,” as more hosts are posting their unbooked listings as short-term rentals. But experts aren’t sure this will really benefit the rental market in the coming months.
- Fewer people are moving or looking to move, according to website RentCafe. “By the second week of March, 30 percent fewer renters in the Bay Area were searching for an apartment,” according to SFGate.
- For those continuing to look for a place to live, realtors and landlords are offering “virtual tours,” as a way to show a property without meeting in person.
Now, into the depths of sketchy Craigslist, still in full force in the Bay Area. Who knows, we might come out of this to a new world where prices are cheaper and ridiculous rentals will be a thing of the past. Or maybe they’ll get worse. No one knows, but here we are today.
A free room in exchange for being a maid/chef
This listing coming out of the East Bay suburb of Fremont offers a free room in exchange for being the maid and chef of the apartment. Flagged for removal now, the person who listed the ad expects the person to continue their 9-to-5 in addition to cleaning the apartment, doing the laundry, and cooking. Does this person expect three home-cooked meals every day? Daily laundry? The specifics are not included, although it does say, “I really yearn for someone with a positive attitude who can comprehend she is getting an 1,100.00 room free.” Gross.
A van with a cooler
If you have been reading this column for a while, you know that we have been documenting Rick from San Jose and his listings of inoperable vehicles for rent. It looks like someone named “Bob” has caught on to what Rick is doing, or Rick changed his name. A reader tips us off on this listing out of Oakland, where Bob is renting a van that is “ thoroughly cleaned after each use,” for $27 dollars a day, the ad (which has been deleted by the poster) read. The minivan comes equipped with a mattress, a pillow, a cooler, and two plastic bins as makeshift drawers. We’ll keep an eye on Bob and see if we come across any other listings of his.
A partitioned living room for a commuter
For $200 a month, you can rent this converted living room in San Jose for a commuter. The ad doesn’t say if the renter has to leave during the weekend as most commuter rentals advertise. The space comes with a twin bed, Wi-Fi, and kitchen access for “light cooking” without specifying what kind of light cooking is allowed.
A room in exchange for domestic chores
From the ad, we know that the place is located somewhere in the Inner Sunset in San Francisco. The poster wants the applicant to submit a photo, and the listing says that “room and board will be provided” in exchange for domestic chores, although there aren’t any specifics as to what the chores are, how many hours, or what the room looks like, as the ad has no photos. You know what we say about these types of listings: Run!
A room for an “open-minded” female
This questionable listing out of San Jose offers a “free” room to an “open- minded woman” who wants to “work out a special arrangement,” the ad reads. Yikes. The post shows photos of a remodeled home where you can choose from one of the three available bedrooms, and full access to all the amenities: washer, dryer, Wi-Fi, internet, cable, AC, and the swimming pool. The poster warns, “I may ask that you go to your physician and get tested before you come and check out the house.”
A room in exchange for homeschooling
This listing posted in Woodside over in the Peninsula offers a part-time or full-time homeschooling gig in exchange for a room in a house with “multiple bedrooms and a small swimming pool and hot tub. It is on an acre of land in a very pleasant natural environment,” the ad reads. There aren’t photos of what the room looks like, or how many kids the renter would have to homeschool. The ad just says that the family has young kids between 5–7 years old. The family who posted the ad is looking for someone who doesn’t have to commute to work or can juggle working from home and homeschooling. If you get to be the new resident before the shelter-in-place is over, be prepared to self-contain in an “efficiency unit you will be able to stay in so we can mutually quarantine for the first 14 days after arrival.”
That’s all we have this month. Thank you to all the readers who enjoy this column. We’ll see you next month with more! If you come across any shocking rentals, let us know.
