Rent-Ready ADU Checklist and Photo Guide

For Los Angeles owners whose ADU is still being built or waiting on its certificate of occupancy: what to set up now, what to know before the first tenant, and how to photograph the unit so it is ready to rent the week it is finished.

By Chris Koss, AIA, founder of A-du. About the author.

A rent-ready ADU is a finished, permitted unit with utilities, keys, insurance, paperwork and photos already in place, so it can be listed and leased as soon as the building department signs it off.

Nearly all of that can be done while the unit is still being built. The only thing that has to wait for the final is the tenant.

Every month a finished ADU sits empty costs a month of rent. Many ADUs in Los Angeles rent for roughly $2,000 to $3,000 a month, depending on size, location and finish, and yours may be more or less. The tasks on this page are small one at a time. Left until after the final inspection and done one after another, they can add up to weeks of an empty unit.

This guide is for owners in the City of Los Angeles whose ADU is under construction or whose certificate of occupancy is in progress. The checklist and the photo guide work anywhere; the legal section is specific to Los Angeles and California.

From final inspection to certificate of occupancy

In the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) inspects the work in stages while it is built. The final inspection is the last one: the inspector confirms the finished unit matches the approved plans and the code, and signs off the work.

The certificate of occupancy is the city’s record that the building may be lived in. Under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 91.109, a building may not be used or occupied until LADBS has issued one, with limited exceptions. On the LADBS permit record you will typically see the status move from CofO in Progress to CofO Issued; depending on the scope of work, some permits close as Permit Finaled instead.

What that means in practice: nobody moves in, and no lease starts, until the final is signed off and any certificate your permit requires has been issued. Everything else on this page can happen before that. Timelines vary from permit to permit, so check yours on the LADBS website or ask your inspector what is still open.

A-du follows the same line. A unit can be listed publicly on A-du only once LADBS has issued its certificate of occupancy (or finaled the permit, for work that does not need one).

The rent-ready checklist

Work through these while the finishes go in. Check them off as you go; the boxes are for you and are not saved anywhere.

This is a short orientation, not legal advice. These rules change, and how they apply can depend on details of your property. Confirm with the agencies in the sources below, or with a landlord-tenant attorney.

The state rent cap (AB 1482)

California’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482, limits annual rent increases on many rentals. It does not apply to housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years (Civil Code Section 1947.12(d)(4)). The exemption is rolling: a new ADU stays outside the state rent cap for about 15 years from its certificate of occupancy, and then comes under it.

The City of Los Angeles Just Cause Ordinance

The Just Cause Ordinance covers most rental units in the city that are not under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, and it can apply to newer buildings and to single-family homes. It governs evictions, not rent. Once a tenant has lived in the unit for six months, or their original lease has expired, whichever comes first, you may end the tenancy only for one of the reasons the ordinance lists. Some reasons that are not the tenant’s fault, such as you or an immediate family member moving in, require you to pay relocation assistance.

The city also requires you to give a new tenant the Notice of Renters’ Protections at the start of the tenancy, and a Notice of Right to Counsel. Get the current versions from the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD).

The Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO)

The RSO generally applies to rental properties first built on or before October 1, 1978. A newly built ADU is generally not covered on its own. The case to watch is the main house: adding a unit to a lot with a pre-1978 house can affect the house’s status, and converting older habitable space can be treated differently. If your house predates October 1978, ask LAHD before you rent either unit. Our guide to ADU rules in the City of Los Angeles walks through the cases.

Fair housing and source of income

Federal and California fair housing laws prohibit discrimination in how you advertise, screen and rent. In California that includes source of income: you may not refuse an applicant because they will pay part of the rent with a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) or other rental assistance (Government Code Section 12955). When a government rent subsidy is involved, any income standard you use must be based on the part of the rent the tenant pays, not the full rent. A listing should not say “No Section 8.”

Security deposits

Since July 1, 2024 (AB 12), a California landlord generally may not collect a security deposit of more than one month’s rent (Civil Code Section 1950.5(c)). A small landlord, meaning a natural person or an LLC whose members are all natural persons, that owns no more than two residential rental properties with no more than four units offered for rent between them, may collect up to two months’ rent, except from an applicant who is a service member.

The photo guide

Photos decide whether a renter clicks, and an empty, newly built unit photographs well if you do a few things right. You do not need a photographer.

Gear

  • A phone is fine. Any recent phone camera is good enough. Wipe the lens first.
  • Use the wide lens for rooms. The 0.5x setting on most phones fits a small room in one frame. Switch back to 1x for details, where the wide lens stretches the edges.
  • Turn on the grid in your camera settings. It makes keeping walls and door frames straight much easier.
  • Flash off. It flattens the room and bounces off glass.
  • A small tripod is optional. It helps in dim rooms and keeps every shot at the same height.

Before you shoot

  • Get every tool, ladder, box and scrap of construction material out of the unit and out of the yard you will photograph.
  • Turn on every light, including lamps, under-cabinet lights and the bathroom fan light.
  • Open every blind and shade.
  • Shoot in daylight. Mid-morning or late afternoon gives the softest light; harsh midday sun makes deep shadows outside and blown-out windows inside.
  • Put the toilet seat down, clear the counters, and if you like, add one or two simple touches: a towel, a plant, a bowl of fruit. An unfurnished unit is fine; an untidy one is not.

The shot list, in order

Shoot in the order a renter would walk the unit, and upload in that order too.

  1. The approach

    The path from the sidewalk or driveway to the ADU entry. Renters want to see how they get home, and that the way in is private. Keep the house number and the front of the main house out of the frame.

  2. The entry

    The front door and whatever is around it: porch, light, steps, landing.

  3. Private outdoor space

    The patio, deck or piece of yard that belongs to the unit. If it is shared, say so in the listing rather than cropping to hide it.

  4. The living area, from the corner

    Stand in a doorway or a corner, hold the phone at chest height, shoot landscape, and keep the phone level so walls and door frames stay vertical. Take it from two corners.

  5. The kitchen

    One wide shot of the whole kitchen, then a closer one of the appliances and counters.

  6. Each bedroom

    From the doorway, showing the window and the closet, so a renter can tell where the bed goes.

  7. The bathroom

    The shower or tub, then the vanity. Shoot from the doorway at an angle so you are not in the mirror.

  8. Storage and closets

    Doors open. Storage is one of the first things renters ask about in a small unit.

  9. Laundry, if there is any

    The washer and dryer, and make clear whether they are in the unit or shared.

  10. Parking

    The space that comes with the unit, if one does.

  11. What makes this unit different

    Natural light, high or vaulted ceilings, the heat pump or air conditioning, a separate entrance, the fence or planting that gives privacy from the main house.

  12. A floor plan

    You almost certainly have one already: your permit drawings include a floor plan. A clean version with room names and dimensions helps a renter picture their furniture. Crop out the title block, which carries your address.

A note on the floor plan. As a company founded by an architect, we think it is the most underused image in ADU listings. A renter deciding whether their couch and desk will fit learns more from a simple plan than from three more photos of the same room.

How many

Shoot 15 to 25 so you have choices, then upload the strongest. A-du’s listing checklist looks for at least eight. The first photo becomes the cover, so lead with your brightest shot of the living area or the entry.

What to leave out

  • People, including you reflected in a mirror, window or oven door.
  • The inside of the main house. The listing is for the ADU.
  • Clutter, tools, cords and construction debris.
  • Flash, heavy filters, and edits that make the unit look different from what a renter will find.
  • If you want your address private: house numbers, street signs, the mailbox, license plates, and the front of the main house from the street.

On A-du, renters see only the city, ZIP code and an approximate area, and the street address is never published. A-du also removes location data from the photos you upload. What it cannot remove is a house number in the frame, so keep it out of the shot.

Pricing and screening

Rent. If you claim your ADU from the link A-du sent you, the claim page shows an A-du rent estimate for the unit. It is a model-based estimate from third-party data, not a guarantee, so treat it as a starting point and compare it with nearby ADUs and small units of a similar size. Price for the month you will actually list, not the month you started building.

Screening criteria. Write them down before you see a single applicant, then apply the same criteria to everyone, in the order applications arrive. Cover at least:

  • Income: for example, a multiple of the monthly rent. With a voucher or other rent subsidy, count only the part of the rent the tenant pays.
  • Credit and rental history: what you will accept and what you will not.
  • Occupants: a limit that is reasonable for the unit’s size. Limits that are stricter than the space requires can raise fair housing problems for families with children.
  • Pets: whether you accept them, which kinds, and any pet deposit or rent.

Written criteria applied the same way every time are your best protection in a fair housing dispute, and they make the decision easier for you.

Get ready on A-du now

If A-du sent you a link about your ADU, that link opens your unit’s claim page, and it works while the unit is still being built. Claim it, then set the rent, your screening criteria and the unit’s details, and save it as a private draft. Nothing is public.

Publish unlocks once LADBS issues the certificate of occupancy (or finals the permit, for work that does not need one). A-du checks LADBS for your permit status every week, so Publish can take up to about a week to unlock after that, plus however long LADBS takes to post it. To speed it up, email support@a-du.homes when your certificate is issued and we will check right away. Listing is free.

No link from us? You can list your ADU once the certificate of occupancy is issued.

Next. Read how to rent out your ADU in Los Angeles for screening, leases and rent collection, or see how listing on A-du works.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent out my ADU before the certificate of occupancy is issued?
No. Nobody may move in, and no lease should start, until LADBS has issued the certificate of occupancy. In the City of Los Angeles, the Municipal Code (Section 91.109) says a building may not be used or occupied until LADBS has issued a certificate of occupancy for it, with limited exceptions, and the final inspection has to come first. You can prepare everything else in the meantime: insurance, utilities, photos, rent, screening criteria and the lease. Check with LADBS for what is left on your specific permit.
Is a new ADU in Los Angeles covered by rent control?
The state rent cap in the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) does not apply to housing issued a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years, on a rolling basis. The City of Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance generally applies to rental properties first built on or before October 1, 1978, so a newly built ADU is generally outside it, although adding a unit to a lot with an older house can raise questions about the house. The city's Just Cause Ordinance, which governs evictions rather than rent, does apply to most rentals that are not under the RSO. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I need landlord insurance for my ADU?
Ask your insurer before the first tenant moves in. A homeowner policy may not cover a separate unit rented to someone else, and the fix is usually a landlord or dwelling policy for the unit or an endorsement on your existing policy, with liability coverage.
How many photos should an ADU listing have?
Shoot 15 to 25 so you have choices, then upload the strongest. A-du's listing checklist looks for at least eight, and the first photo becomes the cover, so lead with a bright shot of the living area or the entry.
Do I have to register my ADU as a rental in the City of Los Angeles?
Most likely. The Los Angeles Housing Department says annual registration is mandatory for residential rental units in the city. Registration means paying the annual fee and filing the Rent Registry form. Confirm with LAHD when a newly built ADU first needs to be registered.
What does it cost to list an ADU on A-du?
Listing is free, for everyone, with no time limit. A service fee applies to rent payments, and by default the tenant pays it on top of rent, so you receive 100% of your listed rent. The first 100 listings on A-du get 0% landlord service fee, locked permanently. Tenants’ standard service fee applies. Spots go to listings in the order they are first published, so a private draft does not hold one. See the pricing page for current rates.

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal, insurance or tax advice. Legal points were checked against the sources above in October 2026. Rental, building and rent rules change and vary by city; confirm current requirements with LADBS, the Los Angeles Housing Department, your insurer or an attorney before renting your ADU.