Following the success of the first cohort, the Town of Truckee has announced the launch of the second cohort of the Rooted Renters program. This innovative initiative builds upon the already existing Lease to Locals program to utilize the existing housing inventory as workforce housing. Rooted Renters locks in workforce rental units at affordable prices for multiple years, providing stability for the local workforce.
Property owners can receive up to $26,000 in incentive payments if they rent their home to qualified local workers for a total of 36 months. The goal of the Program is to create stable, long-term rental housing at an affordable rate for the local workforce over multiple years, provide landlords offering below-market rent with equitable participation in the Town's workforce housing incentive programs, and expand the Town's suite of housing programs through a multi-year rental solution.
"The success of our first year with the Rooted Renters program affirmed what we already knew—our community is eager to support long-term housing solutions for our local workforce," said Town Manager Jen Callaway. "With this second cohort, we're building on that early momentum and continuing to prioritize creative, practical strategies that keep Truckee livable and thriving for those who work here."
The Rooted Renters program was developed by Placemate, Inc., an organization dedicated to addressing housing issues in vacation communities by incentivizing long-term rentals for year-round residents as an alternative to short-term renting. The first cohort launched on July 15, 2024, and all slots were quickly filled, resulting in 23 preserved units that housed 55 residents.
As the Truckee-North Tahoe Region continues to face unmet housing needs, the Rooted Renters Program provides a fast and effective way to create additional housing for the workforce without the cost and time associated with new construction.
Program Details:
To be considered for the program, property owners must submit a Preliminary Application Form, which will become available on the Placemate website at 9:00 a.m. PDT on August 4, 2025.
To qualify, properties must be located within the town limits of Truckee. A property owner must lease to a qualified renter household, which means the average income of all adult residents of a household (related or unrelated) cannot exceed 150% of the area median income ($130,800 for a household of one). Additionally, a qualified tenant means someone who works at least 20 hours a week for an employer based in or who serves the geographic boundaries of the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.
Funding for the Program will be split into two buckets: one for property owners who have participated in the Town's Lease to Locals program and another for property owners who have not. This will ensure that all interested property owners have the opportunity to participate upon the program's launch, while also ensuring equitable funding distribution.
Property owners who rent their unit to a qualified tenant group for the Rooted Renters program for a length of 36 months receive a total payment ranging from $9,000 to $26,000, depending on the size of their home. Property owners are eligible to receive four incentive payments throughout the three years of Rooted Renters, the first distributed at the start of the program and the final three distributed at the end of each rental year. Each successive year of program participation, the incentive amount will increase. Tenant groups can change throughout the 3-year rental period, and property owners are required to rent to a qualified tenant group for a cumulative period of 36 months to receive the full incentive amount.
Tenants and property owners can learn more about Rooted Renters by visiting http://www.placemate.com/rootedrenters, calling Placemate at (530) 290-6949, or emailing them at hello@placemate.com.
About Placemate
Placemate is helping solve the housing crisis in vacation towns by unlocking new housing opportunities for local employees. Through their trusted online platform, they connect local tenants with homeowners who have underutilized properties available for rent. To bolster this effort, they partner with local governments and nonprofits to incentivize property owners who convert their units into seasonal and long-term rentals for locals.
Rooted Renters YouTube Video