Can I rent my ADU to a travel nurse for three months in California?

Usually yes, as long as the stay is 30 days or longer, which most California cities require for ADUs. What differs is what happens when the lease ends. In the City of San Diego, a fixed-term lease of three months or less is not a tenancy under the city's Tenant Protection Ordinance. In the City of Los Angeles, the Just Cause Ordinance covers a tenant once the original lease ends, so a short lease may not end on its date. In San Francisco, rules on stays between 30 days and a year prohibit those occupancies in buildings of three or fewer units, so check with SF Planning before offering anything shorter than a year.

Do I have to furnish an ADU to rent it near a hospital?

No. Residents, fellows, grad students and hospital staff usually sign one-year leases and many bring their own furniture. Furnishing helps with shorter stays, such as travel-nurse assignments, but it adds the cost of furniture, utilities and more turnover. Since July 1, 2024, the security deposit cap is one month of rent whether or not the unit is furnished, with two months allowed for small owners.

Can my tenant help care for me in exchange for lower rent?

That turns the tenant into a household employee. Under California rules, someone who helps an older person with feeding, dressing or supervision in a private home is a personal attendant, and lodging can count toward their wages only under a written agreement made before the work starts. Keep the lease and any caregiving separate, and get advice before combining them.

Building an ADU near a hospital or university in California

An ADU near a hospital or campus is a backyard home with a built-in renter pool: medical residents, nurses, grad students and staff who need a place close to work, on terms of 30 days or more.

The steadiest of them sign one-year leases. Shorter furnished stays are an option where your city's rules make them workable.

Who rents near hospitals and campuses

Hospitals and universities bring a steady flow of people who need a small home nearby and can't spend an hour in traffic: residents and fellows in training programs that run several years, grad and medical students, postdocs, nurses and hospital staff. The timing is predictable too. Training years start in early summer, fall terms start in August and September, and travel nurses rotate through on assignments that recruiters describe as about 12 weeks long.

What they pay

The table shows A-du’s long-term rent estimate for a one-bedroom, 500 square foot detached ADU next to six hospitals, run on November 3, 2026, beside the federal lodging rate for the county. Travel-nurse agencies benchmark housing stipends to that GSA rate, and stipends usually come in below the full monthly total, so treat it as a ceiling, not a rent.

Near	Long-term rent estimate, 1 bed ADU	GSA lodging, per night
Cedars-SinaiBeverly Grove, Los Angeles	$2,660 a monthrange $2,020 to $3,310	$199
LAC+USC Medical CenterBoyle Heights, Los Angeles	$1,910 a monthrange $1,630 to $2,190	$199
Northridge Hospital, near CSUNNorthridge, Los Angeles	$1,990 a monthrange $1,840 to $2,150	$199
UCSF ParnassusInner Sunset, San Francisco	$3,420 a monthrange $2,930 to $3,910	$232 to $325
Stanford HospitalPalo Alto	$3,150 a monthrange $2,380 to $3,920	$218
UC San Diego HillcrestHillcrest, San Diego	$2,040 a monthrange $1,810 to $2,280	$208

Rent: A-du estimate from RentCast comparables, November 3, 2026; an estimate, not an appraisal. GSA: fiscal year 2027 rates, October 2026 to September 2027; San Francisco varies by season.

Run the same estimate for your own street with the ADU rent estimator. A furnished unit near a hospital tends to fill faster and gives you flexibility, but furniture, utilities and more frequent turnover cost money, so compare it with a plain one-year lease before you decide.

Every rental here is 30 days or longer

State ADU law lets a city require ADU rentals of 30 days or longer (Gov. Code 66315) and requires it for ADUs approved under Gov. Code 66323. San Diego bars short-term rental of ADUs outright (City of San Diego), and San Francisco allows ADU rentals only for 30 days or more (SF Planning). Hospital and campus renters fit this rule from the start.

What happens when a short lease ends

This is where cities differ, and it decides whether short furnished stays make sense for you.

San Diego. The city’s Tenant Protection Ordinance says a fixed-term lease of three months or less is not a tenancy under the ordinance, and it exempts housing with a certificate of occupancy from the last 15 years (Legal Aid Society of San Diego). The clearest of the three for travel-nurse stays.
City of Los Angeles. The Just Cause Ordinance covers a tenant after six months or when the original lease ends, whichever comes first, and it can apply on a lot with one house (LAHD). A three-month lease is a real tenancy that may not end on the date in the lease. It suits an owner who is happy to keep a good tenant longer.
San Francisco. Stays of more than 30 days and less than a year count as intermediate length occupancies, which are prohibited in buildings with three or fewer units (SF Planning). Plan on one-year leases near UCSF and check with SF Planning before offering anything shorter.

Statewide, just-cause rules begin after 12 months, and an owner who lives on the lot and rents no more than two units, ADUs included, is exempt (Civil Code 1946.2). Since July 1, 2024 the security deposit cap is one month of rent, furnished or not, with two months allowed for small owners (SF.gov).

Advertise the place, not the tenant

Say what is true about the home: the walk to the hospital, the bus line to campus, blackout shades for night shifts, parking. California fair housing law bars ads that show a preference based on familial status, marital status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status and other protected traits (Gov. Code 12955). Phrases like “nurses only” or “perfect for a single professional” can read that way. Use the same written screening criteria for every applicant.

If you plan to stay in your home

For an owner planning the next ten years in the house, an ADU can bring rental income that makes staying easier, a neighbor a few steps away, and room for family later. A tenant who works in healthcare is still a tenant, though. Trading rent for help with care makes that person a household employee under California rules (DIR), which is a separate arrangement from the lease.

Start where you are. Thinking about building: browse pre-approved plans and request a free test fit. Already have an ADU: list it for free and mark it furnished if it is. Pricing it: estimate the rent.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent my ADU to a travel nurse for three months in California?: Usually yes, as long as the stay is 30 days or longer, which most California cities require for ADUs. What differs is what happens when the lease ends. In the City of San Diego, a fixed-term lease of three months or less is not a tenancy under the city's Tenant Protection Ordinance. In the City of Los Angeles, the Just Cause Ordinance covers a tenant once the original lease ends, so a short lease may not end on its date. In San Francisco, rules on stays between 30 days and a year prohibit those occupancies in buildings of three or fewer units, so check with SF Planning before offering anything shorter than a year.
Do I have to furnish an ADU to rent it near a hospital?: No. Residents, fellows, grad students and hospital staff usually sign one-year leases and many bring their own furniture. Furnishing helps with shorter stays, such as travel-nurse assignments, but it adds the cost of furniture, utilities and more turnover. Since July 1, 2024, the security deposit cap is one month of rent whether or not the unit is furnished, with two months allowed for small owners.
Can I advertise my ADU to nurses or medical residents only?: Describe the location instead, for example the walk or bus ride to the hospital. California fair housing law bars ads that show a preference based on familial status, marital status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status and other protected traits, and phrases like "nurses only" or "perfect for a single professional" can read that way. Apply the same screening criteria to every applicant.
Can my tenant help care for me in exchange for lower rent?: That turns the tenant into a household employee. Under California rules, someone who helps an older person with feeding, dressing or supervision in a private home is a personal attendant, and lodging can count toward their wages only under a written agreement made before the work starts. Keep the lease and any caregiving separate, and get advice before combining them.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rental, eviction and short-term rental rules vary by city and change; confirm requirements with your city or an attorney before you sign a short lease.