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

Malibu runs its own septic rules. The City says a septic system needs an operating permit before a sale. A City-registered inspector checks the system first. If it fails, the owner signs a compliance agreement. The owner can then ask for a certificate of inspection. If no permit exists at sale, the buyer has 180 days to get one. When you sell to us, you do not fix the system first. That 180-day permit step would be ours.

Malibu treats septic work as a coastal matter. The City says any new septic system needs a coastal development permit. An upgrade may be required if a remodel adds bedrooms or plumbing fixtures. It can also be required if an inspection shows the system is failing. Pumping a tank three or more times in 180 days triggers a report. The City wants that report within 24 hours. You can sell as-is and skip the repair.

As of June 26, 2026, the City counts 532 single-family homes destroyed by the wildfires. On September 14, 2026, the City announced its 100th Palisades Fire rebuild permit. It also issued its first Certificate of Occupancy, to a Big Rock home. By then, the City had issued 370 planning approvals. Another 66 projects were in plan check. If you would rather sell, we make cash offers on burned lots and standing homes.

The City offers two paths. Like-for-like plus 10 percent keeps the same footprint. It adds up to 10 percent in size. Its planning check costs $200 and takes about one week per review. A larger or moved home needs a coastal development permit. That path starts at $11,579 and takes 12 to 24 months. The City sets a six-year window from the fire date for a planning application. That window protects old setbacks, height, and size. A building permit has an eight-year window.

The waiver covers City planning and building permit fees. It applies to eligible like-for-like rebuilds after the Broad, Franklin, and Palisades fires. The City says a sale before the Certificate of Occupancy has a cost. The City says waived fees must be repaid within 90 days. Work stops until the City is repaid. Waiver applications are due June 30, 2028. Required building permits are due by December 30, 2030. Ask City staff how this applies to your lot.

Malibu has had two erosion problems this year. On September 8, 2026, a coastal erosion incident hit Sea Level Drive. The City ordered an evacuation and red-tagged 31 properties. On September 11, it said those stay until conditions are safe. As of August 4, the City listed 16 red-tagged high-priority parcels along Pacific Coast Highway. They sit in the Palisades burn area. We can still make a cash offer on a red-tagged home. We buy as-is.

California Insurance Code section 2051.5 speaks to rebuilding or buying elsewhere. The statute does not mention selling the lot. For a state of emergency loss, the time to collect cannot be under 36 months. A policy may not deny replacement cost because you rebuild or buy elsewhere. The payout cannot exceed the cost to rebuild at the original address. Malibu's ZIP code, 90265, was on the state's one-year pause list for cancellations. That pause began January 7, 2025. Your own policy terms still matter, so ask your insurer.

Malibu has had a hard run of fire. The Franklin Fire began on December 9, 2024, near Malibu Canyon Road. CAL FIRE says it burned 4,086 acres and destroyed 20 structures. Weeks later the Palisades Fire reached the Malibu coast too.

If you own here, you may be tired of waiting. We buy Malibu houses straight from the owner. There is no agent in the middle. There is no listing fee.

You skip the to-do list

You do not paint. You do not patch. You do not call a contractor. You do not clear out the garage. Tell us about the place and we make an offer on what it is today.

Houses and lots both work

A standing home works. A damaged home works. A cleared or untouched lot works too.

In most cities you can paint, patch and list. In Malibu, the rules around the house are heavier. The City says the entire city sits in the California coastal zone. So building work must follow the City's Local Coastal Program, unless the work is exempt.

The coastal permit step

The City says its program was certified in 2002. That lets the City approve coastal development permits itself. The Planning Commission handles them. The Planning Director sometimes does. Appeals go to the City Council. In some cases the state Coastal Commission may also hear an appeal.

What that means for a seller

A big fix-up before a sale can pull in a permit, a hearing and a wait. A direct cash sale skips all of that. The permits become the next owner's job.

1. Tell us about the house

Send the short form here, or call (323) 622-6021. Give us the street address. Most Malibu homes carry ZIP 90265. Tell us the basics, plus any fire, slide or septic worries.

2. We send you a number

Expect a fair cash offer within 24 hours, with no obligation. It can come after a phone talk or a visit. You choose how we talk.

3. You choose the closing day

We can be done in as little as seven days. A longer timeline is fine, if you need to move on your own schedule. Closing runs through a title or escrow company, and we keep it moving.

Before you decide

Ask all the questions you like. There is no fee to hear an offer.

One part of Malibu has its own septic rule. It is the Civic Center area. It is a state rule, not just a City rule.

How the ban came about

On November 5, 2009, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted Resolution R4-2009-007. It bans onsite wastewater systems in the Malibu Civic Center area. The City's policy says the resolution became effective on December 23, 2010. In August 2011 the City, the Regional Board and the State Board signed an agreement on how to phase it in. A revised agreement followed in December 2014. The City's policy says it was amended again on February 2, 2017.

Where the deadlines stand

• The City's policy quotes the resolution. It bars discharge from existing residential systems after November 5, 2024. It allows repairs and upkeep that do not add capacity.
• The City's project page lists June 2017 for Phase One properties to connect to the City plant. It lists November 2022 for Phase Two properties, mostly homes.
• That page says the City asked for more time in March 2022. It does not say if the City got it.
• It also says construction on the plant expansion is on hold.

Those dates are old. The City pages do not say what applies to your lot today. Ask City staff or the Regional Board.

Adding a bedroom in the ban area

For the first two phases, the City's policy treats added bedrooms or plumbing fixtures as a new discharge. New systems in the area go to the Regional Board for approval. In Phase III areas, the policy may allow added flow up to 420 gallons a day, with conditions.

If you own a lot or house there

You do not need to solve this to sell to us. Tell us the address. We buy the house or lot with the ban attached.

Some Malibu parcels sit inside special districts. The City keeps a page that lists them. Each one covers a set of properties with a shared need.

The districts the City lists

• Big Rock Mesa: Assessment District No. 98-1, for landslide maintenance.
• Calle Del Barco: Landslide Maintenance Assessment District No. 98-2.
• Malibu Road: Landslide Assessment District No. 98-3.
• Broad Beach Road: Assessment District No. 2010-1, for underground utilities.
• Carbon Beach: Community Facilities District No. 2006-1, for undergrounding.

The City's page does not say how a district shows up on a tax bill. It also does not say what happens at a sale. Call City Hall at 310-456-2489 and ask about your parcel.

Why it comes up at closing

A buyer will want to know if a district applies. Ask City Hall before you sign anything.

Malibu homes sit on beaches, bluffs and canyon slopes. Each setting brings its own wear.

Homes close to the water

Salt air, sand and moisture can be hard on a house. Decks, railings and sliding doors often show it first. You do not have to replace any of it. We buy it worn.

Homes on slopes and canyons

Hillside homes can have drainage, retaining wall and foundation questions. We buy those too. You do not hire an engineer first.

Homes with fire or smoke damage

The City's February 2025 guide, citing CAL FIRE, put 720 destroyed structures in Malibu from the Palisades Fire. That was an early count of structures of all kinds. We make offers on those homes, too.

One line to remember

As-is means what it says. You give us the keys. We deal with the rest.

Fire leaves loose ground. The next big storm can then move it. Malibu owners know this well.

The City's flood maps

After the Woolsey Fire, the City's Public Works Department made post-fire flood vulnerability maps. They show four storm sizes: 50-year, 25-year, 10-year and 2-year. Colors run from no color for lowest risk to red for high risk.

What the maps do not show

The City says the maps assume blocked drains and culverts. They do not model mudflow. The City calls the draft a worst-case reference for the time soon after that fire. It is not a forecast of specific storms.

What you can do

Ask Public Works at 310-456-2489 whether the maps cover your parcel and whether newer ones exist. If you want to be out before the rain, tell us your date. We can close in as little as seven days.

Malibu owners carry a yearly fire to-do list. It starts before the dry months and runs into fall.

Brush clearance by June 1

The City's fire safety page says June 1 is the deadline for mandatory brush clearance. Work done before then avoids fines. The page says the work builds the defensible space firefighters need.

Red Flag days

The City says Red Flag conditions mean humidity at 15 percent or less. They also mean sustained winds of 25 miles per hour or more for at least six hours. Malibu typically sees 7 to 8 of these events between October 1 and December 31.

Free help from the City

The City's Fire Safety Liaisons offer a free Home Wildfire Hardening Assessment. You can also look up your evacuation zone on the Genasys site the City lists.

If you would rather not

Selling to us ends the chore. We take the lot with its brush. You do not clear it before closing.

Owners come to us for many reasons. All of these are fine.

Foreclosure or missed payments

Rebuild costs and lost income can pile up. If a payment slipped, call us soon. We can make an offer while you weigh your options.

Inherited homes and lots

Heirs often live out of state. A Malibu home can be hard to manage from far away. If you are an heir or the executor, call us once the paperwork is in order.

Tenants and rentals

We buy houses with renters in place. We buy empty rentals too.

Divorce and liens

A shared home can slow a split. An unpaid lien can slow a sale. Escrow can often pay a lien from the sale proceeds. We work with your title company on that.

Fire, water or slide damage

The Franklin Fire damaged 28 structures. Storms and slides add their own harm. A damaged home still gets an offer.

Code notices and empty properties

A City notice or a vacant house can wear you down. We buy them as they stand.

CAL FIRE says the Franklin Fire was contained on December 18, 2024. Owners who left in a rush may still have a house full of things. Keep what you love. Leave whatever you do not want.

No cleaning day

Surfboards can stay. Patio sets can stay. Garage shelves, old appliances and heavy furniture can stay. We carry it out at no cost to you.

If you are far away

Many Malibu owners no longer live here. You can sell from another city. Name the few things you want kept. We will plan around you.

Money you keep

• No agent commission.
• No repair costs.
• No cleaning bill.

Work we take on

We line up the title and escrow work and cover the usual closing costs. You do not pay a coastal permit fee to make the house ready. You do not pay a contractor to prep it.

Ask about your own parcel

Assessment districts, septic rules and open permits can differ by lot. The City is the place for those answers. Its main number is 310-456-2489.

Most Malibu addresses use ZIP code 90265. The county's ZIP list names it for the City of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains. So it also reaches into unincorporated land. Nearby ZIP codes serve unincorporated land in the Santa Monica Mountains. Examples are 90263 (Pepperdine University) and 90290 (Topanga).

Areas named on City pages

• Big Rock Mesa
• Calle Del Barco
• Malibu Road
• Broad Beach Road
• Carbon Beach
• Civic Center
• Point Dume
• La Costa
• Malibu Colony

A note on these names

The first five come from the City's assessment district list. Civic Center comes from the City's septic policy. Point Dume, La Costa and Malibu Colony are the names of the post offices the City lists in its fire guide. The City pages draw no neighborhood lines. If your street is not here, call us.

The City of Malibu says the cleanup path depends on the fire.

After the Palisades Fire, owners could join the government cleanup program. Or they could opt out and hire a licensed contractor.

After the Franklin Fire, the City says owners hire a private licensed contractor. The owner pays for the cleanup. A free household hazardous waste check comes first.

The City also runs a Malibu Rebuild Center for owners. It calls the center a one-stop shop with city staff.

You can sell a lot that is cleared, partly cleared, or untouched. Tell us where yours stands.

A septic system stays with the land. The City of Malibu has extra steps after a fire.

• Tanks had to be pumped and capped by June 30, 2025, the City's site says.
• A City-registered inspector had to add risers and covers.
• The City says a fire-damaged system needs inspection and City approval before use.
• The City bars repair applications for conventional systems on beachfront, multi-family, and commercial lots. They need a new advanced system.

A septic operating permit lasts five years for a conventional home system. It lasts three years for an advanced system. The City lists two years for commercial and multi-family systems.

These steps can add cost to a rebuild. If you would rather not take them on, you can sell as-is.

You do not need a full file to get an offer. These items help us move faster:

• Your deed or trust papers.
• Insurance claim letters and any payments received.
• Your septic operating permit or last inspection report.
• Any red-tag or City notice for the property.
• The fee waiver affidavit, if you filed one for a rebuild.

If you do not have something, call anyway. We can start with what you have.

The Malibu Rebuild Center is at 23805 Stuart Ranch Road, Suite 240. It is open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.

On September 28, 2026, the City declared a local emergency for the forecast El Nino. If you want to close before the storms, tell us your date. We can close in as little as seven days.