Berkeley, California

Rental Registration

"The Berkeley RHSP transition to Citizenserve in 2025 was a solid win. We swapped outdated workflows for an integrated online platform that streamlined registration, payments, and inspections—cutting admin work while speeding up tenant safety resolutions."

Julie Garvey, Citizenserve

Background

Berkeley, California, a vibrant university city with a population of approximately 120,000 residents, maintains one of the nation's most progressive Rental Housing Safety Program (RHSP) to ensure safe, habitable living conditions for tenants. The program requires annual self-certification by landlords, periodic proactive inspections, and tenant-requested housing code checks to enforce California Building Standards, including smoke/CO alarms, egress, and electrical safety. In 2025, Berkeley transitioned from its legacy Accela system to Citizenserve cloud-based government software to unify housing inspections, code enforcement, and financial tracking—streamlining operations for the Planning and Development Department's small team while enhancing service delivery in this tenant-focused community.

Challenge

Under the old Accela setup, Berkeley's rental registration and inspection processes suffered from inefficiencies: fragmented data across separate systems for inspections and payments, manual workflows for annual RHSP fees and self-certifications, limited online accessibility for landlords and tenants, and cumbersome tracking of proactive/random inspections or tenant requests. This led to delays in processing, higher administrative burdens for staff, slower response times to safety concerns, and reduced overall effectiveness in promoting tenant health and safety in a high-rental market.

Solution

The 2025 migration to Citizenserve delivered a fully integrated platform for rental registration and inspections. Landlords now submit annual RHSP self-certifications, pay per-unit fees, claim exemptions, and request inspections seamlessly through the online portal. Inspectors benefit from mobile-friendly workflows, real-time data access, automated notifications, and streamlined scheduling for proactive or tenant-requested visits. The system centralizes financials (eliminating dual-system use), automates fee calculations and reminders, and supports efficient documentation—making the entire process faster, more accurate, and user-friendly for both staff and property owners.

Outcome

Since going live with Citizenserve in 2025, Berkeley's Rental Housing Safety Program has achieved significant improvements in efficiency and service quality. Staff handle registrations, inspections, and code enforcement with less manual effort, enabling quicker turnaround on tenant requests and proactive checks. Landlords experience easier compliance through the intuitive online portal, while tenants gain better protection through faster resolution of safety issues. This modernization has enhanced overall tenant safety, reduced administrative bottlenecks, and positioned Berkeley as a leader in effective, technology-driven rental housing oversight.

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Berkeley, California

Join the hundreds of communities using citizenserve®

Join the hundreds of communities
using citizenserve^®