By Jorge Casuso

August 13, 2026 -- Los Angeles County landlords can now lease their vacant units or buildings to the City to provide transitional housing for the homeless living on Santa Monica's streets, City officials announced Wednesday.

The City will accept applications through August 31 for initial consideration in the Master Leasing Program, part of the newly introduced Housing Focused System of Care that creates "a structured pathway to housing for individuals, with City oversight at each stage of the process."

"Master leasing is a strategy for the City to increase its available interim housing capacity by leasing residential units, multifamily buildings and hotel properties directly from owners and subleasing them to individuals experiencing or at-risk of homelessness," City officials said.

"The City is seeking the most competitive offers and will not pay above fair market rent," officials added.

Those who respond to the City's Request for Expression of Interest, or RFEI, can offer to lease everything from a vacant unit to a vacant multifamily building or hotel or motel property directly to the City or a nonprofit.

If the parties enter into a formal agreement, the City or a nonprofit becomes the “master tenant” and would sublet to those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The master tenant would be "responsible for the monthly rent, maintenance, security, and supportive services," officials said.

Under an agreement to lease the property for up to five years, subject to annual renewals, the City "identifies eligible tenants and is responsible for facilitating timely move-in." The City also "funds the provision of wrap-around services and case management to help tenants remain successfully and stably housed."

In turn, the owner receives monthly rent from the City for all rooms under the lease agreement "and is protected by the City’s guarantee of rental payment," officials said. "All tenants would maintain the same rights as other leaseholders."

Only vacant units will be considered in properties both within Santa Monica and across LA County that meet Housing Quality Standards as defined by the Santa Monica Housing Authority and have a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy.

Properties with active Code Enforcement or Housing Quality Standards violations will not be considered.

“Our goal is to make this program a positive experience for everyone involved," said Housing and Human Services Director Aileen Reynolds. "Property owners can rely on the city to maintain the units, quickly fill vacancies, provide on-site support services for residents, and pay rent on time.

"At the same time, these apartments provide safe, stable interim housing for people as they work toward securing permanent housing, offering a safe place to stay while they prepare for their next chapter,” Reynolds said.