ADUs for Rent in Irvine

An accessory dwelling unit — a guest house, garage conversion, backyard cottage or converted basement — is a self-contained home on the same lot as a main house. In Irvine, that usually means a private entrance, your own kitchen and bathroom, and a landlord who lives a few steps away rather than a leasing office across town.

A rare way into Irvine's rental market that isn't a managed apartment community.

What you pay depends far more on the unit than on the street. A newly built detached studio with in-unit laundry and its own parking space sits at the top of the range; an older garage conversion sharing a driveway sits well below it. Because every listing here is an ADU, the comparisons on this page are like for like — you are not sorting a backyard cottage against a 200-unit apartment block.

A few things worth checking before you sign anywhere in Irvine: whether utilities are included or separately metered, where you can actually park, whether laundry is in the unit or shared with the main house, and how the outdoor space is divided. These vary enormously between ADUs and are the things tenants most often wish they had asked about. Every listing on Find My ADU sets them out upfront.

Listings here come straight from the owners, and your enquiry goes straight to them. There is no application fee to ask a question. Before you pay anything, see the unit in person — our guide to staying safe explains what to watch for.