Where can I list my ADU for rent?

A-du is a rental marketplace built around Accessory Dwelling Units, currently covering Los Angeles County, San Francisco, San Diego County, and New York City. You can list an ADU (a backyard cottage, an attached unit or a unit inside the house), a whole house or a private room, as long as the space is permitted and finaled. Renters browse A-du for houses, backyard units and rooms, so your listing reaches people already looking for that kind of home.

What does it cost a landlord to list an ADU on A-du?

Creating a listing is free. The first 15 published listings pay 0% landlord service fee, locked permanently. After that, landlords pay a 3% platform service fee on rent collected through A-du, taken from the payout, never on deposits and never on rent paid outside A-du. Paying rent through A-du is optional for tenants: bank transfers through A-du are free. Credit cards, when offered, carry a 2.99% surcharge on the rent only, and debit and prepaid cards are not accepted. Deposits are paid by bank transfer, never by card. Tenants can always pay you by check or money order at no charge.

Does my ADU need a permit to be listed?

Yes. A-du lists ADUs that have been permitted and finaled, meaning the local building department inspected the work and signed off. A finaled permit is what makes the unit a legal rental, and it is the thing renters on A-du are specifically looking for. If your unit is an unpermitted conversion, look into your city ADU amnesty or legalization program before listing. The same rule covers a whole house, a unit inside the house or a room: the space you rent has to be permitted and finaled as living space.

Do I have to live on the property to rent out my ADU?

Not for a standard ADU in California. State law prohibits cities from imposing an owner-occupancy requirement on standard ADUs. Junior ADUs (JADUs) are the exception and generally do require the owner to live on the property.

How does tenant screening work?

You order a screening report through A-du when you want one. It covers credit, criminal background and eviction history, is prepared by RentPrep, an FCRA-regulated consumer reporting agency, and follows the same FCRA-compliant process for every applicant you screen. You pay A-du for each report; applicants pay nothing. Consistency matters here for more than convenience: evaluating applicants differently is how fair-housing problems start. If you decline an applicant because of the report, you send the pre-adverse and final adverse-action notices from A-du, which tracks the waiting period between them.

Do I need my own lease?

No. A-du generates a California-compliant lease through Anvil, including the required state disclosures and ADU-specific terms such as shared utilities, parking, and yard access. You can add supplemental documents if your situation needs them.

How long does it take to list an ADU?

Creating the listing itself typically takes under 30 minutes: describe the unit, upload photos, set the rent and house rules, and publish. Identity verification through Stripe Identity happens once and is required before you can accept payments.

List Your ADU for Rent

Listing your ADU is publishing your permitted Accessory Dwelling Unit to renters who are specifically looking for one, then screening, leasing, and collecting rent through the same platform.

Listing on A-du is free, and the unit stays yours to manage: A-du is software and a marketplace, not a property manager.

1. Check that your ADU qualifies

A-du lists ADUs that are permitted and finaled: inspected and signed off by your local building department. That is the whole premise of the marketplace: renters come here for legal, inspected homes rather than unpermitted garage conversions. The same rule applies if you list the whole house, a unit inside it or a room. If you are not sure of your permit status, your city or county building department can confirm it from your address or APN.

A-du currently covers Los Angeles County, San Francisco, San Diego County, and New York City. You do not need to live on the property. See the FAQ below on owner-occupancy.

2. Create the listing

Create your listing by describing the unit: bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, parking, whether it is furnished, which utilities you cover, and your house rules. Photograph the separate entrance and any private outdoor space: privacy and a private entrance are what renters are choosing an ADU for in the first place, and listings that show them plainly do better than listings that bury them.

3. Set your rent

Price against comparable ADUs, not against apartment averages: a 600 sq ft detached unit with its own yard is not the same product as a 600 sq ft apartment, and pricing it like one leaves money on the table. A-du suggests a market rent from the unit you describe, and you can browse current ADU listings for local comparables. Check whether your unit falls under local rent stabilization; newer ADUs are frequently exempt, but the main house's status can matter.

4. Screen applicants

Applicants apply through A-du, and applicants pay nothing. When you want to screen one, you order a report covering credit, criminal background and eviction history, prepared by RentPrep, an FCRA-regulated consumer reporting agency, and you pay A-du for it. You set your own criteria (minimum credit score, income multiple, occupancy limits, pet and smoking policy) and every applicant is measured against the same bar, which is both fairer and considerably safer under fair-housing law than judging case by case.

5. Sign the lease and get paid

A-du generates a California-compliant lease through Anvil with the required disclosures and ADU-specific terms, and both parties sign electronically. Rent is then collected online and deposited to your bank through Stripe. Rent is due on the 1st of each month, A-du emails the tenant a reminder, and the tenant pays from their tenant page by bank transfer (or by credit card, when offered) or pays you directly by check or money order. The late fee you configure is written into the lease. Maintenance requests and expenses live in the same dashboard.

What it costs

Listing is free. The first 15 published listings pay 0% landlord service fee, locked permanently. After that, landlords pay a 3% platform service fee on rent collected through A-du, taken from the payout, never on deposits. For tenants, paying through A-du is optional: bank transfers through A-du are free, and credit cards, when offered, carry a 2.99% surcharge on the rent only. Tenants can always pay you by check or money order at no charge. See pricing for current terms and worked examples.

Ready to list? Create your ADU listing. Listing is free and takes about half an hour. Newer to this? Read the legal guide to renting out an ADU in Los Angeles or how A-du works, step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I list my ADU for rent?: A-du is a rental marketplace built around Accessory Dwelling Units, currently covering Los Angeles County, San Francisco, San Diego County, and New York City. You can list an ADU (a backyard cottage, an attached unit or a unit inside the house), a whole house or a private room, as long as the space is permitted and finaled. Renters browse A-du for houses, backyard units and rooms, so your listing reaches people already looking for that kind of home.
What does it cost a landlord to list an ADU on A-du?: Creating a listing is free. The first 15 published listings pay 0% landlord service fee, locked permanently. After that, landlords pay a 3% platform service fee on rent collected through A-du, taken from the payout, never on deposits and never on rent paid outside A-du. Paying rent through A-du is optional for tenants: bank transfers through A-du are free. Credit cards, when offered, carry a 2.99% surcharge on the rent only, and debit and prepaid cards are not accepted. Deposits are paid by bank transfer, never by card. Tenants can always pay you by check or money order at no charge.
Does my ADU need a permit to be listed?: Yes. A-du lists ADUs that have been permitted and finaled, meaning the local building department inspected the work and signed off. A finaled permit is what makes the unit a legal rental, and it is the thing renters on A-du are specifically looking for. If your unit is an unpermitted conversion, look into your city ADU amnesty or legalization program before listing. The same rule covers a whole house, a unit inside the house or a room: the space you rent has to be permitted and finaled as living space.
Do I have to live on the property to rent out my ADU?: Not for a standard ADU in California. State law prohibits cities from imposing an owner-occupancy requirement on standard ADUs. Junior ADUs (JADUs) are the exception and generally do require the owner to live on the property.
How does tenant screening work?: You order a screening report through A-du when you want one. It covers credit, criminal background and eviction history, is prepared by RentPrep, an FCRA-regulated consumer reporting agency, and follows the same FCRA-compliant process for every applicant you screen. You pay A-du for each report; applicants pay nothing. Consistency matters here for more than convenience: evaluating applicants differently is how fair-housing problems start. If you decline an applicant because of the report, you send the pre-adverse and final adverse-action notices from A-du, which tracks the waiting period between them.
Do I need my own lease?: No. A-du generates a California-compliant lease through Anvil, including the required state disclosures and ADU-specific terms such as shared utilities, parking, and yard access. You can add supplemental documents if your situation needs them.
How do I get paid?: Rent is collected online and deposited to your bank account through Stripe. Rent is due on the 1st of each month: A-du emails the tenant a reminder, and the tenant pays from their tenant page by bank transfer (or by credit card, when offered) or pays you directly by check or money order. The late fee percentage you set on the listing is written into the lease.
How long does it take to list an ADU?: Creating the listing itself typically takes under 30 minutes: describe the unit, upload photos, set the rent and house rules, and publish. Identity verification through Stripe Identity happens once and is required before you can accept payments.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Rental, zoning, and rent-control rules vary by city; confirm requirements with your jurisdiction.