Need to Sell My House Fast Malibu? We Buy Houses in Malibu, California

It means Tucker Buys Houses LA buys houses here directly, for cash, in the condition they are in today. That can be a beach house on Carbon Beach or a home on Point Dume. It can also be a canyon house near Las Flores Canyon or Big Rock Mesa. You get a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours, and you decide what to do with it.

If you accept, you pick the closing date, and the sale closes through a title and escrow company. We can close in as little as 7 days, or later if you need more time to move out. There is no listing, no showings and no agent commission, so nobody tours the house while you still live in it.

Mention septic, fire damage or permit gaps up front. Each of those has its own City rules on this coast. Knowing about them early lets the offer fit the house as it really is.

USPS lists three ZIP codes under the city name. In that list, 90265 is the street-delivery ZIP, 90264 is for PO boxes, and 90263 is a unique ZIP. We look at houses with an address in any of the three.

A ZIP code is a mail area, though, not the city line. Pepperdine University is a good example: the City's Land Use Plan places it just outside the City limits, even though it borders land inside them. So a mailing address alone does not tell you if a parcel sits inside the city line. That matters, because the City rules on this page only reach parcels inside it.

Send us the street address and we will check where the house falls before we talk about price or timing. That one step keeps the offer tied to the right set of local rules from the start.

The City requires operating permits for onsite wastewater treatment systems, its term for septic, under Chapter 15.44 of its Municipal Code. A sale calls for a point-of-sale inspection. The report must come from an OWTS inspector registered with the City.

The City's point-of-sale handout also covers a failed inspection. In that case the owner signs a compliance agreement with the City within 30 days of the failure. The agreement is recorded, so it stays with the property for the next owner. A buyer who closes with no operating permit or certificate in place has 180 days to secure a permit. The system may already have a valid permit. Then the new owner has 30 days to file a Transfer of Operating Permit application and pay the fees.

We buy as-is, so you are not asked to repair the system first. Tell us the last inspection date if you know it. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Start with the street. The City built its Civic Center Water Treatment Facility as the State-approved answer for one group of owners. They were ordered off septic under a prohibition of discharge from onsite systems. Phase 1 pipelines follow six streets, among them Civic Center Way, Stuart Ranch Road, Cross Creek Road and Winter Canyon Road. The City's FAQ adds that in Phase 1 no pipelines extend beyond the private gates of Serra Canyon.

Owners in later phases are assessed for their own parcels' wastewater. We did not find a parcel-by-parcel list on the City's pages. So ask the City which phase covers your lot before you set a closing date. The septic section on this page lists all six Phase 1 streets.

In either case, we can make an offer on the house as it stands, including while it is still on septic. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Yes. We buy houses in any condition, and that includes fire and smoke damage. The fire started Jan. 7, 2025, and the City still runs a Palisades Fire incident page and a rebuild help desk. Its planning line for rebuild questions is 310-456-2489 ext. 485, and planning email goes to [email protected].

On July 14, 2025, the Council waived planning and building permit fees for like-for-like fire rebuilds. For property tax, the County Assessor reappraises a damaged property after a fire. A rebuild done in a like or similar manner keeps its previous value for tax purposes.

If you would rather not run a rebuild yourself, put our cash offer next to your rebuild budget and your timeline and compare them. A sale to us needs no cleanup or repairs first, and you still pick the closing date. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Every parcel in the city sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. A City staff report prepared for the June 9, 2025 Council meeting says the 2025 state map left that in place. California Civil Code 1103 requires the seller of a home in such a zone to tell the buyer so. Sellers must also disclose that the property is subject to Government Code 51182.

Under that code section, owners of occupied structures keep 100 feet of defensible space around the building. That upkeep duty includes an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of it. Flood-zone and inundation-area disclosures come from the same Civil Code section, so one sale can involve more than one hazard disclosure.

We buy as-is, so we can make an offer on a house with brush to clear or an old fence near the walls. Ask your escrow officer how the disclosures will be delivered. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

The LA County Recorder names five cities that charge a special city transfer-tax rate: Santa Monica, Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona and Redondo Beach. Malibu is not one of them, and no separate city rate for it appears on the Recorder's schedule.

The County tax still applies. It is $0.55 per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000, under Revenue and Taxation Code 11911(a). The tax is figured on value net of liens that stay on the property after the sale. As an example, $800,000 of taxable value works out to $880.

Measure ULA reaches only documents that convey property inside the City of Los Angeles, so it does not apply to a sale here. Ask your escrow officer to show how the County figure on your statement was calculated. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

No. That report is the Residential Property Report, also called Form 9 or RPR. The LA Department of Building and Safety says it is required only for sellers of residential property inside the City of Los Angeles. Malibu is its own incorporated city, so that report has no role in a sale here.

Permit questions go to the City's Building Safety Division, which works out of City Hall at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road. The division handles building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, excavation, and spa and pool permits, and it schedules inspections through the City's Development Portal. You can reach the division at 310-456-2489 or [email protected] to ask about open permits on your house.

If the file looks thin, the City's OnBase search and public-records portal are covered in the permit-records answer on this page. Open or missing permits do not stop us from making an offer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Start with the City's OnBase search online. Pick "ESD - Geology Files" in the drop-down, then type the street number and street name. That brings up the digitized permit and geology files for the address.

For paper files, use the City's public-records portal at MalibuCity.org/Records or ask for the paper request form at City Hall. The City says staff reply with a status update within 10 days. The handout that explains this dates from the Woolsey Fire period, so check the portal's current wording before you rely on it.

For older coastal permits, call 805-585-1800, the Ventura number for the California Coastal Commission's South Central Coast office. According to the City's handout, that office holds records for properties here going back to 1977. You can also ask the Building Safety Division about open permits. We can still make an offer if some records are missing or a past addition never got a permit.

Prop 19 took effect Feb. 16, 2021, and it narrowed the parent-to-child tax break. A child keeps a parent's lower tax base only when two things are true. First, the house was the parent's principal residence. Second, the child makes it his or her own principal residence within one year and files a Homeowners' Exemption within that year. No other inherited property qualifies anymore, so a second home or a rental passes to the heir without the parent's base.

If you sell instead of moving in, the sale is a change in ownership. The Assessor sets a new base year value at market value for the buyer. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report is filed when the deed records. The LA County Assessor's Prop 19 page has the full rules.

We buy inherited houses as they are, with no cleanup, so a home still full of a parent's belongings is fine. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

We searched the City's pages and did not find a citywide rent-control or just-cause ordinance for houses or apartments. The City's one rent-stabilization program is for mobilehome parks, and a Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization Commission hears those matters.

State law still sets a cap. Civil Code 1947.12 limits yearly increases to 5% plus the cost-of-living change, or 10%, whichever is lower. Housing with a certificate of occupancy under 15 years old is exempt. So is a separately saleable home owned by an individual, if the tenants got the written exemption notice. The section says it remains in effect until January 1, 2030.

If the house is rented now, send the lease terms and the current rent with your request. That way the offer and the closing date account for the tenancy. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

The County bills secured property tax in two installments. The first is due Nov. 1 and turns delinquent after Dec. 10. The second is due Feb. 1 and turns delinquent after Apr. 10. Each late installment draws a 10% penalty, and the second also carries a $10 cost, so check where both stand before you close.

After the sale, the Assessor issues a supplemental assessment equal to the new base year value minus the old one. The buyer is taxed on it only for the part of the fiscal year that remains. If the purchase lands after January 1 and before May 31, two supplemental assessments follow. The Tax Collector sends supplemental bills only to the property owner.

You will need the parcel number, called the AIN, for any of this. Look it up by cross streets in the Assessor's Property Search or on your deed. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Yes. We buy houses near the water as they stand, and the flood paperwork here has a few dates worth knowing. The current FEMA flood maps for the city have been in effect since April 21, 2021. Newer maps are pending, and the City's floodplain page says they take effect 120 days after FEMA publishes notice. FEMA's Flood Map Changes Viewer lets you put the current and preliminary maps side by side for your parcel.

Civil Code 1103 makes flood-zone and inundation-area disclosures part of a sale, next to the fire-zone disclosure. The whole city also sits inside the California coastal zone. So coastal development permits are decided under the City's Local Coastal Program, certified in 2002. Some decisions can be reviewed by the Coastal Commission.

A flood zone or an old storm repair does not stop us from making an offer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

You can sell partway through, and we buy fire-damaged and half-built homes as they are. The City's own counts give a sense of the rebuild's scale. A City update posted June 29, 2026 put the totals at 342 planning approvals as of June 26. It also listed 77 rebuilding permits issued to start construction, and 900 building permits in all for debris removal, repairs, damaged structures and rebuilding.

A few rules apply to the property no matter who finishes the work. Under Ordinance 299, any new building or rebuild has to meet the City's fire-zone building rules, and the Building Official enforces them. The July 2025 City notice on fee waivers also reminds owners to keep onsite wastewater systems in compliance with pumping and capping rules. On the tax side, the Assessor keeps a like-or-similar rebuild at its previous value.

Bring your permit numbers and plans to the call. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Start at City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road, in the Civic Center area. The Land Use Plan describes the Civic Center as also holding County regional offices, courts, a library and City offices.

For permits and inspections, call the Building Safety Division at 310-456-2489 or email [email protected]. For zoning, coastal development permits or a fire rebuild, the Planning Department is at ext. 485 on the same number, or [email protected]. Septic questions go through the City's OWTS operating permit program, and copies of old files come through the public-records portal at MalibuCity.org/Records.

Two offices sit outside the City. The LA County Assessor Help Desk, 213-974-3211, helps with your parcel number. The Coastal Commission's South Central Coast office in Ventura, 805-585-1800, holds older coastal permit records. You do not need any of these answers before you ask us for an offer, and we can work through open questions during escrow.

Selling to Tucker Buys Houses LA is a private sale between you and a cash buyer. There is no listing, no open house and no line of cars on Pacific Coast Highway waiting to tour the place. We buy directly, and the sale closes through a title and escrow company, the same way other California home sales close.

Sell my house fast in Malibu: the three steps

1. Send the address and a few notes on condition through the form, or call.
2. We review the house and make a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours.
3. If the number works for you, you choose the closing date. We can close in as little as 7 days, in 7 to 14 days, or later if you need more time to move.

What selling as is means for your house

As-is means you do not paint, fix the deck, empty the garage or schedule a single repair. Tell us what you know instead. That might be a roof leak or an old addition with no permit on file. It might be a septic system nobody has inspected lately, or smoke damage from the January 2025 fire. Those details shape the offer. None of them has to be fixed before you sell to us.

The same steps, with more paperwork

The same steps apply anywhere we buy. Our page on how to sell my house fast in Los Angeles County covers the whole service area. Houses in this city tend to carry three extra layers of paperwork. They are a septic system, a fire-zone label that covers every parcel, and coastal zone rules. The sections below walk through each one and link to the official source for every rule.

USPS lists three ZIP codes under the city name: 90265, the main one; 90264, a PO box ZIP; and 90263, a unique ZIP. A ZIP code is a mail area, not a city boundary. The City's Land Use Plan notes that Pepperdine University sits just outside the City limits while bordering land inside them. So a mailing address and the city line do not always match.

The Land Use Plan names these areas, and we buy houses across all of them:

• The Civic Center, the flat plain at the mouth of Malibu Canyon and the City's largest commercial area. Beside it on the coast is Malibu Colony, the private residential community.
• Point Dume, the most built-up area west of the Civic Center, with Point Dume Plaza as a second commercial center.
• Shoreline communities: Trancas and Broad Beach, Zuma, Paradise Cove, Escondido Beach and Malibu Cove Colony. The plan also names Latigo Beach, Carbon Beach, La Costa and Las Flores Beaches, Big Rock Beach, Las Tunas Beach, Encinal and Lechuza.
• Canyon and ridge areas: Las Flores Canyon, Big Rock Mesa, the slopes at the base of Trancas and Zuma Canyons, and gated Serra Canyon.

Pacific Coast Highway ties these places together. The plan describes homes and businesses lining it from Topanga to Point Dume, with only a few roads crossing the mountains. If you also own a coastal house farther south, you can sell your house fast in Marina del Rey through the same process.

A house that treats its own wastewater on site has what the City calls an onsite wastewater treatment system, or OWTS. Chapter 15.44 of the City's Municipal Code requires operating permits for these systems and a point-of-sale inspection when the property sells. The inspection report has to come from an inspector registered with the City.

What the City's point-of-sale handout says

• If the inspection fails, the owner and the City sign a compliance agreement within 30 days of the failure. A certificate of inspection is also due within 45 days.
• The compliance agreement is recorded and binds future owners.
• A buyer who closes without an operating permit or certificate must secure an operating permit within 180 days.
• When a property with a valid operating permit changes hands, the buyer files a Transfer of Operating Permit application and fees within 30 days.

Before you use the handout near the Civic Center

The handout's steps are written for houses on septic. The Civic Center area has its own track. The City's Civic Center Water Treatment Facility is the State-approved route for owners ordered off septic by a prohibition of discharge from onsite systems.

Phase 1 pipelines run along Civic Center Way, Malibu Road, Stuart Ranch Road, Cross Creek Road, Malibu Canyon Road and Winter Canyon Road. Owners in later phases are assessed for their own parcels' wastewater. So ask the City which phase covers your parcel, and which of the handout's steps still apply to it.

The handout's steps in an as-is sale

Because we buy as-is, you are not asked to repair a system before closing with us. We price the house with the system as it is and plan the inspection timing inside escrow. Confirm the current steps with the City before you rely on them. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

The entire city is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. A City staff report for the June 9, 2025 Council meeting says the 2025 state map did not change that. Every parcel stays under current fire rules. New buildings and rebuilds must meet the City's fire-zone building rules under Ordinance 299, enforced by the Building Official.

Fire-zone duties for sellers and owners

• Disclosure: California Civil Code 1103 requires the seller of a home in a very high fire hazard severity zone to disclose that fact. The seller must also disclose that the property is subject to Government Code 51182. Flood-zone and inundation-area disclosures work the same way.
• Defensible space: Government Code 51182 requires owners of occupied structures in these zones to keep 100 feet of defensible space. That space includes an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of the structure.

Owners rebuilding after the Palisades Fire

An owner who rebuilds takes on one more duty: the Ordinance 299 fire-zone building rules described above. The Palisades Fire started Jan. 7, 2025. The City's incident page quotes CAL FIRE totals of 6,831 structures destroyed and 973 damaged. Those totals cover the whole affected area, the Palisades and this city combined.

A City update posted June 29, 2026 counted 900 building permits issued for debris removal, repairs, damaged structures and rebuilding. The same update counted 77 rebuilding permits issued to begin construction, and 342 planning approvals as of June 26. On July 14, 2025, the Council approved waivers of planning and building permit fees for like-for-like fire rebuilds.

Sellers who choose not to rebuild

If a rebuild is more than you want to manage, a direct sale is one option to compare. We buy damaged houses as they stand. Ask your escrow officer how the fire-zone disclosure in the list above will be delivered.

For property tax, the County Assessor reappraises a fire-damaged property, and a like-or-similar rebuild keeps its previous value. The City's planning line for rebuild questions is 310-456-2489 ext. 485. For owners on the other side of the burn area, we buy houses in Pacific Palisades on the same terms. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

All of Malibu lies inside the California coastal zone. The City's Local Coastal Program was certified in 2002, so the City issues coastal development permits itself. The Planning Commission decides them, and sometimes the Planning Director does. Appeals go to the City Council and in some cases to the California Coastal Commission. The Planning Department applies the Zoning Ordinance (Title 17 of the City's Municipal Code) and the Local Coastal Program Local Implementation Plan.

Building permits come from the Building Safety Division at City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road. It issues building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, spa and pool, and excavation permits, and it runs inspections through the City's Development Portal.

How to pull permit history on your house

1. Search the City's OnBase system online. Choose "ESD - Geology Files" in the drop-down, then enter the street number and street name.
2. For paper files, use the City's public-records portal at MalibuCity.org/Records or a paper form at City Hall. Staff send a status update within 10 days. The City's handout dates from the Woolsey Fire period, so check the current portal wording.
3. For older coastal permits, contact the California Coastal Commission South Central Coast office in Ventura at 805-585-1800. The City's handout says that office's records for properties in the city go back to 1977.

Missing or old permits are part of the as-is picture we look at when we make an offer.

Pulling the flood map history as well

Check the flood maps while you gather the permit file. FEMA's revised flood maps for the city took effect April 21, 2021. Newer maps are pending and take effect 120 days after FEMA publishes notice. You can compare current and preliminary maps on FEMA's Flood Map Changes Viewer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

LA County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 for each $500 of value, under Revenue and Taxation Code 11911(a). That equals $1.10 per $1,000. The tax is figured on the value net of any liens that remain on the property at the sale. At that rate, $1,000,000 of taxable value works out to $1,100.

The County Recorder lists five cities with a special city rate: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica. Malibu is not on that list, and no separate city rate for it appears on the Recorder's schedule. Measure ULA covers only documents that convey property inside the City of Los Angeles, so a sale here is not subject to it. The City of Los Angeles Residential Property Report (Form 9) is also limited to homes inside that city. So it does not apply to your sale either.

Property tax dates and reassessment

• First installment: due Nov. 1, delinquent after Dec. 10.
• Second installment: due Feb. 1, delinquent after Apr. 10.
• A late installment carries a 10% penalty, plus a $10 cost on the second one.

Keep your parcel number (AIN) at hand for these dates and bills. To find it, enter your nearest cross streets in the Assessor's Property Search. You can also check your deed, or contact the Assessor Help Desk at 213-974-3211.

When the County reassesses

At a change in ownership, the County reassesses the property, and its market value becomes the new base year value. A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report (PCOR) is filed when the deed is recorded.

The supplemental bill for the new owner

The supplemental assessment equals the new base year value minus the previous one. The supplemental bill that follows goes to the new owner and covers the rest of the fiscal year.

Two bills for a January to May purchase

A purchase between January 1 and May 31 brings two supplemental bills, not one. Like a single bill, both go to the owner rather than the lender's impound account. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Prop 19 took effect Feb. 16, 2021. Under it, a child keeps a parent's lower tax base only if the home was the parent's principal residence. The home must also become the child's principal residence within one year, with a Homeowners' Exemption filed within one year. Other inherited property no longer qualifies. An heir who will not live in the house therefore does not carry the parent's tax base forward. Our guide on how to sell an inherited house in Los Angeles covers the steps heirs may face.

Selling a rental house

We did not find a citywide rent-control or just-cause ordinance for apartments or houses on the City's pages. The rent-stabilization program the City does run covers mobilehome parks, including rents, registration, rent increases and park closures. Those matters are heard by a Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization Commission.

The state cap on rent increases

State law still applies. Civil Code 1947.12 caps yearly rent increases at 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower. It exempts:

• Housing with a certificate of occupancy issued within the past 15 years.
• A separately saleable home owned by an individual, not a REIT, corporation or LLC with a corporate member. The tenants must also have received the written exemption notice.

If your house is rented, tell us about the lease when you ask for an offer. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

• USPS ZIP Code Lookup by City and State
• Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan - malibucity.org
• Operating Permit Program - malibucity.org
• Point of Sale Inspections, Onsite Wastewater Treatment System - malibucity.org
• FAQs, Civic Center Water Treatment Facility - malibucity.org
• Council Agenda Report: Adoption of the 2025 Local Responsibility Area Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map - malibucity.org
• California Civil Code 1103
• California Government Code 51182
• Palisades Fire Incident Information Archive - malibucity.org
• Malibu fire rebuild advances - City News Flash (June 29, 2026)
• Malibu Moves Into Important New Phase of Fire Rebuild - City News Flash (July 18, 2025)
• When does the Assessor reappraise property - LA County Assessor
• Local Coastal Program - malibucity.org
• Planning Department - malibucity.org
• Building Safety Division - malibucity.org
• Permit Search - malibucity.org
• How to Research or Request Public Records (OnBase handout) - malibucity.org
• Floodplain Management - malibucity.org
• Documentary Transfer Tax - LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
• California Revenue and Taxation Code 11911
• Real Property Transfer Tax and Measure ULA FAQ - LA Office of Finance
• Requirements When Selling - LA Department of Building and Safety
• Annual Secured Property Tax Bill Insert 2026-2027 - LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector
• Change in Ownership - LA County Assessor
• Property Tax Services FAQ - LA County Auditor-Controller
• Assessor Maps Help - LA County Assessor
• Proposition 19 - LA County Assessor
• Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization - malibucity.org
• California Civil Code 1947.12
• New Property Owner - LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector
• Facilities - malibucity.org