The Berkeley buildings with the most vacant housing units

"Now that unoccupied housing could translate to millions of dollars in new revenue for the city, as a result of the tax voters approved in 2022 that charges property owners up to $6,000 per empty unit. The data from 2024, the year the Empty Homes Tax went into effect, offers the most detailed look yet at Berkeley's stock of vacant housing, which was spread across nearly 400 properties in every corner of the city."

"A database provided by the Rent Stabilization Board, the body tasked with implementing the tax, listed 909 units as being subject to it, meaning they were vacant for at least six months. But that figure isn't accurate. At least one property didn't belong on the list to begin with: The database listed a building at 2441 Haste St. as having 43 units, all of them vacant."

Berkeley recorded hundreds of apartments and houses that were vacant for at least half of 2024, tracked to enforce the Empty Homes Tax. Voters approved the tax in 2022, which can charge property owners up to $6,000 per empty unit, potentially producing millions in revenue. The Rent Stabilization Board provided a database listing 909 units subject to the tax, but the count contained inaccuracies, including a misidentified building at 2441 Haste St. that was actually occupied. The true number of empty units remains uncertain due to registration gaps and suspected unlisted vacancies.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org