Renting a Home
CLAM manages rental properties throughout West Marin — in Point Reyes Station, Inverness, and Stinson Beach. When vacancies become available in these properties, CLAM utilizes a vacancy-specific procedure to fill vacancies.
CLAM will communicate vacancies by sharing alerts through our newsletters and emails, social media, advertisements, and local listing announcements. Each available unit will be advertised consistent with CLAM’s current Fair Housing Marketing Plan.
The vacancy marketing period will be a minimum of two weeks, and the closing date will be stated on the advertisement. A vacancy will be advertised as soon as possible to allow maximum time for applicants to apply, be selected, and give notice to their current landlord, while minimizing the amount of time a unit will remain vacant.
CLAM is an Equal Opportunity Housing provider, providing housing in accordance with local, state and federal Fair Housing laws.
Former CLAM Board member, Natalia Meyerson, with her daughter, Sabrina, in front of their CLAM home.
If you would like to find out when a CLAM home becomes available, please join our mailing list and follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
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CLAM markets an available home according to our fair housing marketing plan: through a range of information outlets, including on the CLAM website (clam-ptreyes.org), in our newsletter CLAMbites (sign up here), on local message boards and news outlets, and in other relevant locations.
CLAM property manager receives applications within a certain period of time. Applicants must show proof of income with application.
CLAM will filter applications for eligible household sizes and income levels.
If multiple eligible applications are received, then applicants will be selected by lottery.
**Given the urgency of the displacement crisis facing nearly 40 ranch families in our community, CLAM’s Board has approved the prioritization of securing housing for displaced ranch families through June 2026. This means that as vacancies on CLAM-owned or CLAM-managed properties become available, our staff will be prioritizing placement of families from the ranches formerly operating within Point Reyes National Seashore and families from the Martinelli Ranch. This prioritization aligns with Marin County’s Shelter Crisis Declaration and other funder priorities and is a temporary measure to ensure that local families who are at urgent risk of displacement can find safe, secure shelter where they live and work.**
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Rents are set for each unit based on the amount CLAM needs to cover property expenses. We cannot adjust rent amounts for particular applicants. We are usually not able to subsidize individual rents.
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“Affordable” means that a household is not spending more than one-third of its income on rent. For example, if rent is $1,000/month, a household would need at least $3,000/month in gross income to qualify. If we allow people to spend a greater percentage of their income on housing, we will not be contributing to their stability, because they will likely not be able to set aside any savings for the curve balls that life inevitably throws. The 30% rule is not a one-size-fits-all rule. Some people have more debt than others or spend less on monthly expenses and thus could afford to spend more on housing. Still, 30% remains the best benchmark we have for financial stability. Keep in mind that we look at 30% of gross income, which might be the same as 40% of net income.