New rental trend? Rental listing adds $200 'work-from-home fee' - ABC7 Los Angeles

What the report says

KABC-TV reported that a Bay Area rental advertisement has drawn attention for adding a monthly charge aimed at tenants who work from home. The listing is for a newly built, furnished one-bedroom accessory dwelling unit in Walnut Creek, California, priced at $3,250 per month with utilities and Wi-Fi included. The ad also says tenants who work from home would pay an additional $200 each month.

According to the report, the 535-square-foot cottage is in Walnut Creek’s Northgate neighborhood and includes internet, utilities, a private patio and parking. Several renters interviewed by KABC-TV and its sister station KGO reacted negatively, saying they had not encountered a separate work-from-home fee before and were concerned about another charge in an already expensive rental market. KABC-TV cited Zillow data showing average Bay Area rent at about $3,650 per month, well above the national average.

Derek Barnes, CEO of the East Bay Rental Housing Association, told the station the fee may be unusual but not necessarily prohibited, describing it as similar to a way to recover higher utility or conservation-related costs. He said remote workers may consume more electricity, water, internet and cooling because they are home throughout the day, and that ADU owners may have different flexibility depending on local rent rules.

KABC-TV said KGO visited the Walnut Creek property and contacted the person who posted the listing but did not receive a response. The report framed the listing as an isolated case for now, with Barnes saying he does not expect such fees to become common, though it could prompt wider discussion about utility usage in rentals.