Residential Rental Inspection Program (RRIP)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

In 1989, Hayward City Council adopted an ordinance establishing a mandatory Residential Rental Inspection Program (RRIP). The purpose of this Residential Rental Inspection Program (Hayward Municipal Code SEC. 9-5.) is to provide safe and healthy housing choices through the safeguarding and preservation of the City's housing stock. Additionally, it is the program's mission to assure that all housing is maintained in accordance with adopted codes, as well as minimum California State Housing Standards as mandated by California Housing Law also known as California Health and Safety Code. The provisions of this program and the Rental Housing Inspection Ordinance apply to all rental housing units and to all hotel and motel units defined in the ordinance and are supplementary and complementary to all of the provisions of the Hayward Municipal Code, state law, or other adopted codes.

ANNUAL RESIDENTIAL RENTAL FEE:

The annual RRIP invoices for the 2023 program year have been generated & mailed the week of January 13th, 2023. To pay your invoice, please visit https://www.hayward-ca.gov/epermits, click on the ‘Pay Invoice’ box and type in the complete INVOICE NUMBER from your bill (including letters and dashes). Once on the invoice information page, click the ‘Pay Now’ button to pay by credit card or e-check. 

Please review our Rental Inspection Fee Support page for more information and answers to frequently asked questions about this invoice. 

RENTAL INSPECTIONS:

Site inspections can occur in three ways:

  1. Request for inspection from tenant
  2. Request for inspection of unit by owner or his/her designee or
  3. Periodic inspection(s) conducted by the City.

Upon notification by the City, owners of a rental property in the City of Hayward are subject to rental housing inspections. During an inspection, inspectors conduct indepth reviews of rental property conditions to assure compliance with applicable codes. Rental properties are inspected for interior/exterior code violations and issued corrective notices for compliance.

The most common violations are:

  • Un-permitted construction or installations
  • Missing or non-functional smoke detection devices
  • Faulty mechanical appliances
  • Faulty weather protection
  • Faulty plumbing 
  • Junk & debris
  • Mold and mildew damage
  • General deferred maintenance

For a detailed listing of common violations and corrections please download our Common Housing Violations Sheet.

REQUEST AN INSPECTION:

If you are a tenant living in substandard conditions or a property owner wishing to conduct an inspection with our division to assure your dwellings are currently up to code, please contact us:

RENTAL SELF-CERTIFICATION:

On May 13, 2014, the Hayward City Council approved an Ordinance amending the Residential Rental Inspection Program (RRIP) which included a self-certification component. Qualifying property owners may participate in the Self-Certification Program if certain conditions identified in the RRIP Ordinance are met. Self-Certification is intended to reward those property owners who have shown a history of responsible property management. 

Self-Certification allows qualifying rental owners an opportunity to opt-out of the mandatory inspection program as long as their property remains in good standing. All rental properties -- including those in self-certification -- are required to pay annual rental program fees. If you wish to participate in the program, please fill out the application form, affidavit and checklist for each property you own. Within 60 days of returning the required program documents, you will receive further program information to facilitate your acceptance or denial into the Self-Certification Program.

The program requirements, Self-Certification Application-Affidavit, and Checklist are found below. For more information about the program, you may contact Code Enforcement at (510) 583-4175, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/DOCUMENTS: