Homes for Rent on the Peninsula

If you’re looking to rent a home in the Burlingame, Hillsborough, or San Mateo area, you know that it can be challenging to find a home to rent. Not only that, but rental prices are pretty high too. This page will be helpful to you in your rental housing search.

How The Rental Market Works on the Peninsula

An overwhelming majority of homes rented on the peninsula are rented via Craigslist (over 95%). I know in New York most of the entire rental process, from finding a place to signing the lease, runs through well connected apartment brokers. On the San Francisco peninsula, and in particular in Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo, San Carlos, and the surrounding communities, I’d say 98% of the rental market is on Craigslist, principal to principal (meaning owner/landlord directly to the tenant). So if you’re looking for a place to rent, chances are it’s going to be on Craigslist, and if it’s a good home in a good location and priced fairly, it will probably rent within its first few days of being posted. To avoid “missing the boat” on a choice place, you may already be on Craigslist several times a day refreshing your screen trying to monitor new rental posts. If you’d like to save yourself some time and not worry about remembering to visit Craigslist to check, I’d recommend setting up Craigslist RSS feeds via Google Reader - this invaluable tool will automatically notify you via email of new matches based on your search criteria (you can also download an app like CraigsPro to your smartphone which will do the same thing). If you’re trying to get an idea where all the properties are on craigslist that you’re searching for, I recommend checking out a handy website called Housing Maps, which is a mashup of Craigslist properties for rent laid out on a simple Google map.

That being said, if you’re having a tough time finding a place, or you’re looking for a home to rent over $3,500 a month, I may be able to help in two ways. The first is via my extensive network of relationships with my colleagues and the Top Agent Network (top 5% of Realtors in San Mateo County) where I can check to see if they know of any pocket rental listings (not publicly advertised). I also occasionally hear of courtesy rentals via these two networks as well. The second way I can help you find a rental is via the MLS. If you’d like to automatically receive new MLS rental listings via email, click here. I have helped clients rent everything from a one bedroom apartment in Burlingame for $1,500 a month to estate homes in Hillsborough for nearly $10,000 a month. Drop me a line if you think I may be able to help.

Map of Current Homes for Rent in MLS in Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo, San Carlos, Belmont, Millbrae, Foster City, Redwood City, & Redwood Shores

Before you sign your lease, it’s important that you and your landlord complete some type of “Move In, Move Out” form. This extensive checklist lists all the rooms and things like appliances in your home and is designed to list the current condition so that you avoid any issues when it comes time to get your security deposit back. I recommend doing this in person with your landlord. It’s in your best interest as a tenant to go through the home and note all the things that may be a little broken, or basically the things you want to notate now about the condition of the home (holes in the wall, one stove burner not working properly, etc) so you prevent the landlord from holding your security deposit back when you move out. You could even shoot a quick video for your personal file of the empty home’s condition before you move in.

Short Term Apartment Rental Options

There are very few short term places to rent on the peninsula, including corporate housing. One of my favorite places is Archstone in San Mateo, a beautiful mixed use complex centrally located in San Mateo with its very own Whole Foods, several restaurants, parks, underground parking, and swimming pool. The rents are pretty pricey though it’s very convenient if you’re looking for a month to month rental (starting at $1,800 a month for a 651 square foot one bedroom). In downtown Burlingame, there’s The Maurice, which has units as small as a studio and includes weekly maid service.

All of the below places have in-unit laundry and are pet friendly.

1. Bridgepointe Apartments, 1987 Bridgepointe Parkway, San Mateo, (650) 358-8511 ‎

2. Metropolitan Apartments, 338 S. Fremont Street, San Mateo, (650) 348-6130, luxury units a few blocks from downtown San Mateo

2. Water’s Edge Apartments, 1200 East Hillsdale Boulevard, Foster City, (650) 341-6700 (great views)

3. Foster’s Landing, 700 Bounty Drive, Foster City, (650) 574-3060,‎ (shortest lease is 7 months)

4. Lakeshore Landing, 2717 South Norfolk Street, San Mateo, (650) 574-3060, 1 bedrooms from $1,780 a month

5. Beach Cove Apartments, 703 Catamaran Street, Foster City, (650) 349-1700