Lease to Locals

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About the Town of Truckee Lease to Locals Program

The Town of Truckee Lease to Locals Program unlocks existing housing stock for the local workforce. The program includes a set of incentives for homeowners that shift from renting their home short-term (or not renting at all) to 5 to 12-month-plus lease arrangements with locally employed tenants. The Town is partnering with Truckee-based local housing business, Placemate, to market and administer this successful program. Participating and qualifying homeowners will receive grants ranging from $2,000 to $18,000 and can self-list their rental property on Placemate's site and connect with potential renters as part of the program. Tenant qualification in this program is based on annual income.

Please note: The average annual income of adult residents of a household (unrelated or related) can not be more than 150% of the area median income ($130,800). Download the Lease to Locals Program Guidelines in English (PDF) or in Spanish (PDF).

Tenants and homeowners can learn more about how to participate in the program by visiting the Placemate - Truckee page, emailing Placemate, or calling Placemate at 530-290-6949.

Since the program's inception in October 2020, this program has converted more than 200 residences to long term rentals, housing more than 500 Truckee residents.

"Happy to report that we have successfully converted the family Tahoe Donner vacation home/STR to LTR. A long-time local Truckee family - small business owners and employers of other Truckee locals - is officially in residence. Woot woot. Feels good. Thanks, Placemate, for helping out."

"Thank you so much for creating this program - it has allowed us to rent a dream space within our budget and continue to be a part of the community we love."

"We really appreciate the program - it's been fantastic to be able to live here!”

“This program seemed too good to be true. It is a really innovative and beneficial way for the Town to encourage local housing availability for local workers. Keep it up.”

"Everything is going great! Our tenants are amazing and it's been a pleasure having them rent our house out."

How it Works

Home Qualifications

To qualify for the incentive package homeowners must meet the following criteria:

  1. Have a property located within the Town limits of Truckee.
  2. The home (accessory dwelling unit or rooms or home) must have all required building permits in place.
  3. Must be willing to lease the home to an income-qualified employee(s). Unrelated or related households can not make more than 150% of the area median income average per adult.
  4. Must be willing to lease the home to an employee who works for an employer located in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District boundaries. At least 50% of the household must work for a locally-based employer to qualify for a home.
  5. Must be willing to lease for a period between 5 and 12 months (or longer).

Tenant Qualifications

  1. The average annual income of adult residents of a household (unrelated or related) can not be more than 150% of the area median income ($118,125).
  2. At least 50% of the adults over 18 in the household (related or unrelated) must work at least 20 hours per week, for an employer located in the geographic boundaries of the Truckee Tahoe Unified School District.
  3. To create a renter profile on Placemate's site, visit the Placemate - Create a Renter Profile page.

Placemate's Role

Placemate handles all of the qualifying of tenants and homeowners into the Program.

  • Working with homeowners: Placemate works with homeowners to guide them through the process of qualifying for the grant, listing the property on the Placemate site, screening tenants, and securing a qualified set of tenants. Ultimately, the homeowners choose the tenant(s), not Placemate. The lease agreement is between the homeowner and the tenant.
  • Working with tenants: Placemate works with tenants to help guide them through the process of qualifying for homes in the Program.

Town Role

The Town provides the grants once leases are signed.

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Fair Housing

Fair Housing Laws apply to all of the housing programs in the Town of Truckee. The Law prohibits discrimination in housing based on: Race, Color, National origin, Religion, Sex, and more. For more information, visit FairHousingNorCal.org.