Photo : KatarzynaBialasiewicz ( iStock )

San Francisco has long been known for its scarce and extremely expensive real estate. But now, says SFGate, housing stock is at such a shortage in the Bay Area that many apartments include the following stipulation: “no cooking.” The article points to an online ad for a master bedroom rental in San Fran’s West Portal neighborhood for $1,790 per month—no cooking allowed. Another ad for a studio near Stanford University says it rents for $1,500 per month, but doesn’t include a stove or oven. SFGate says a Bay Area Craig’s List search for “no cooking” under apartment listings revealed 93 responses.


Maybe those young West Coast tech execs are too busy to cook anyway, relying solely on takeout and microwaveable meals. The latter are sometimes permitted, says SFGate: “Some Craigslist ads forbid kitchen use, but give tenants microwave and hot plate privileges. Others lack kitchens entirely, and even more say cooking isn’t forbidden outright, but discouraged.”

A Fair Housing And Equal Opportunity Office rep told SFGate that no federal law exists that requires rental units to have kitchens. And according to California law, landlords are not required to supply appliances, although they are required to provide access to necessities including “a working toilet, heat, running water and a ‘kitchen sink’ made of non-absorbent material,” although there is no official definition of “kitchen.” But if you’re spending almost $2,000 a month for a studio, shouldn’t a kitchen, even a small one, be included? Even a tiny fridge is better than none at all.