Redlands, California

Renting in Redlands, made simple.

An independent local guide to finding a home in the City of Redlands — honest neighborhood breakdowns, real rent numbers, your rights under California law, and a moving checklist that actually helps.

~$2,100Average 1-bedroom rent
~73,000City residents
3Arrow rail stations in town
1888Year Redlands incorporated
Where to live

Redlands neighborhoods at a glance

Redlands is small enough to cross in fifteen minutes, but each pocket has its own character — and its own price range. Start with the quick version below, then dig into the full neighborhood guide.

Walkable

Downtown Redlands

Historic State Street storefronts, the Redlands Bowl, Orange Street Alley, and the Saturday farmers market. Apartments, duplexes, and lofts above shops — the most walkable part of town.

About Downtown
Historic

South Redlands

Tree-lined streets of Victorian and Craftsman homes between downtown and the University of Redlands, next to Prospect and Caroline parks. Mostly houses, carriage units, and small duplexes.

About South Redlands
Students

University District

The blocks around the University of Redlands campus, served by its own Arrow rail station. Rentals turn over with the academic calendar — houses split into units, rooms, and small complexes.

About the University District
Convenient

North Redlands & Lugonia

The Lugonia Avenue corridor toward Mentone: newer apartment communities, Citrus Plaza and Mountain Grove shopping, and the fastest freeway access to I-210 and I-10.

About North Redlands
Scenic

Redlands Heights & East

Hillside streets around Panorama Point and Sunset Drive with valley views. Quieter, more suburban, and generally the priciest rentals in the city — mostly single-family homes.

About Redlands Heights
Commuter

West Redlands

Toward Loma Linda along Redlands Boulevard — practical complexes and condos with quick access to Loma Linda University Medical Center, the VA hospital, and I-10.

About West Redlands
Renter resources

Guides written for Redlands renters

California rental law is specific, and Redlands has its own quirks — municipal utilities, a student-driven leasing cycle, and a rail line many renters still don't know exists.

California tenant rights

Rent caps, deposit limits, eviction protections, and habitability rules — translated into plain English.

Know your rights

Moving checklist

An eight-week countdown: budgeting, documents, viewings, lease red flags, and Redlands utility setup.

Plan your move

Student housing

Renting near the University of Redlands — timing the market, budgeting, roommates, and guarantors.

Student guide

Pet-friendly rentals

Deposits, pet rent, breed rules, and how to actually find a Redlands rental that takes your dog.

Renting with pets
Why Redlands

A small city that punches above its weight

Redlands sits at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains, roughly 60 miles east of Los Angeles. What makes it unusual for a city its size is how much is packed into it: a genuine historic downtown, a private university, the global headquarters of mapping company Esri, and a heritage of orange groves that still shows up in street names, packing-house architecture, and the groves themselves on the city's edges.

For renters, the practical picture is just as interesting. Redlands runs meaningfully cheaper than coastal Southern California while offering more character than most Inland Empire suburbs. The Arrow rail line connects three Redlands stations — Esri, Downtown, and University — to San Bernardino's transit hub, where you can transfer to Metrolink for Los Angeles. Three freeways (I-10, SR-210, SR-38) put Loma Linda's hospital cluster, San Bernardino, and the mountain towns within an easy drive.

The trade-offs are honest ones: summer heat, rents that have climbed with the rest of Southern California, and a rental stock where the best-priced units move fast — especially around the university's leasing cycle. This site exists to help you navigate all of it.

New to renting in California?

Start with the rules that protect you — rent caps, deposit limits, and notice periods apply to most Redlands rentals.

Read the tenant rights guide