Thousands of Bay Area residents trading in their house keys for car keys — and unscrupulous “vanlords” are taking advantage.
The concentration of Californians living in RVs has spiked, according to a CNBC report, and even full-time workers have joined the growing cohort.
New demand has led to vehicles being shelled out as unregulated rental properties, much to the concern of local officials.
Residents have plenty of reasons to opt for turning their vehicles into makeshift homes. A recent report on the state’s housing crisis revealed that a whopping 30.4% of Golden State listings were priced at more than $1 million. Untenable costs have led to an ongoing population decline.
For those without any other housing options, the state’s number of emergency shelter beds is woefully inadequate to meet demand, CNBC reported.
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom boasting a 9% decline in homelessness in January, California residents and local businesses have reported feeling “held hostage” by rampant tent and vehicle encampments in their communities.
Federal housing data suggests the state hosts a quarter of the country’s homeless population.
In response to the tight housing market, an exploitative “shadow rental market,” has arrived in the Bay Area, CNBC reported. Locals taking advantage of the crisis have turned a profit as “vanlords,” renting out their shoddy, old RVs for hundreds of dollars.
These unofficial rentals are not backed by written leases or tenant protection laws, leaving residents with few choices in a vulnerable spot.
One such renter told CNBC they and a friend have spent $500 per month to rent a publicly parked RV in San Francisco for the past year. The manager of a legal RV park said their site has evolved from serving tourists to long-term residents.
San Francisco has ramped up parking enforcement in response to the off-the-books market, and legislation to ban the practice in San Jose is in the works.
San Jose has also made headway with a creative alternative to the shadow market, called a “safe parking site.” The city’s two grant-funded sites offer a total of 128 parking spots that are temporary and rent-free.
The newest location, an 86-spot site located between industrial plants, offers showers, laundry facilities and an office of case workers to residents. The waitlist is full.
The number of homeless Santa Clara County residents sleeping in cars more than doubled since the pandemic, CNBC reported, citing county data. The figure rose from 18% in 2019 up to 37% in 2025. The area is home to Silicon Valley and eight of the country’s 50 priciest ZIP codes.
A similar safe site project in San Fransisco was previously shuttered. City officials there suggested to CNBC that official RV parks should be reconsidered as a regional housing strategy.
https://nypost.com/2026/02/20/real-estate/calfornians-are-increasingly-living-in-rvs-as-costs-soar/
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