Renter told me she's pregnant. Anything I should keep in mind?

Question

I have a 3 bedroom single family house I rent out by the room. Originally there was one male tenant in each room. The tenant in the master asked if his girlfriend could move in. The other renters said they were okay with it, so I allowed it but increased the rent for the couple. Eventually, those two get married, and now I find out the wife is pregnant. She's about 5 months along, the couple plans on staying (until they've saved up to buy a place, which in that area will take a while), none of the other tenants have voiced concerns of the imminent addition of a baby to the house, but I'm worried. They've all been such great tenants, but I don't think anyone realizes how a crying baby in the middle of the night can be especially inconvenient when it's your roommate's child. Is there anything I should know/be prepared for once the baby comes? Or am I overthinking the situation?

Michael Gansberg · Answer

@Kendra Mattson, why don't you buy a muzzle for the baby to keep it quiet? That was a joke. Send some flowers and well-wishes when the kid is born, that's all you can- and should- do.

Deanna McCormick · Answer

First you made the mistake of permitting more than one person occupancy per sleeping room.

And a infant is a person. (or soon to be infant)

You need to set occupancy criteria for your property. Is your rental property licensed? if it is or if it isn't you still need to follow housing laws for discrimination.

Housing laws permit a woman who is pregnant and gives birth to remain in the unit for 1 year after the birth of the child, check the law.

Then after she has the child you have to give her a notice that she is over occupancy,  per your rental criteria and she has 12 months to vacate. That you would accept notice sooner if they find a different place but would prefer 30 day notice if they choose to leave sooner.

If their room is 2 person occupancy, that you permitted then they will be over occupancy once the child is born.

Kurt K. · Answer

@Kendra Mattson I think Thomas S. made some very good points. We know you want to do the right thing, but then its not fair to your other tenants to have a room with 2 occupants and a third one that will soon be a crying baby. As Greg said, they will take over the house. Check your housing laws in CA. Good luck.

Steven J. · Answer

@Kendra Mattson although its painful to your pride you could offer to give them their full deposit back if they decide to move out in order to secure a new place. If you're highly concerned it will cause the others to leave try to figure out a way to get them to leave and replace them with new tenants. Work with them if they are willing to work with you and you know what their long term plan is. I highly doubt a couple and a new born want to be secluded to a single bedroom in a house shared by others. Perhaps you've got other friends who have a 2/1 that is vacant?

Thomas S. · Answer

You are in a bind and most likely your tenants will take advantage of their situation. In the baby crying you will likely drive out your other tenants. Mother , father and baby will end up with the entire house to themselves. Best you can hope for is financially with a baby they will not have enough money for rent and you will have grounds to evict. If they only rent a single room however money may not be an issue. Whatever happens do not allow them to rent a second room as that will make their stay permanent and your third room permanently empty. There are ways to "encourage" them to move along but you will need to be creative.

Lesson learned when renting rooms never allow more than one person per room.

Kendra Mattson · Answer

Thanks for all the replies! Since it's come up in a couple comments, I want to clarify - I'm not trying to evict the couple because the wife is pregnant, I'm just trying to get an idea of what to expect and if there's anything I should be doing. The impression I get from the responses overall is: Make sure all the tenants are clear on giving me as much notice as possible if they decide to move out (they're all month to month now), but otherwise there's not much to actually do. Once the baby is born, the couple will likely want more space, and since I don't have a 2 bedroom I could move them to, they'd most likely be leaving. If they can't afford to move. . . well I guess that's just a bridge to cross when we get there.

Jordan Schneider · Answer

Any person who is on the lease is responsible for paying the rent.  As long as rent payments come in then you have nothing to worry about.  Did the tenants all move in at the same time? Did they know each other previous to moving in together and do all parties have separate leases and are those leases annual or are they month to month?   You should certainly convey to all of the tenants that live there (if they are month to month) to please give you AS MUCH notice as possible when they plan on leaving and if they signed a yearly lease, you should find out at least one month beforehand if they plan on resigning a new lease or are they going to move out.

Kurt K. · Answer

Hi @Kendra Mattson

Great news about your tenant having a baby and by all means you are not over thinking the situation.  Once the baby is born they might be changing their toon. Not only will the baby be crying, but the mom and dad will be up into the wee hours of the night.

Have you talked to them about the possibility of them moving to another unit with more privacy?

Plus, its going to get crowded if both parents have to sleep in the same room with their baby. Its better to have a two bedroom where one bedroom can be used for the baby with a baby monitor. Its sounds like this is all they can afford. Have your roommates signed leases or are they just friends you have rented to?

Check your state tenant / landlord laws to see what your options are. It sounds it might be wise to come up with a back-up plan.

Chris Mason · Answer

Housing discrimination based on familial status is unlawful, hence you can get a  mortgage even while temporarily out of work on maternity leave. Be careful. Follow the spirit and the letter of the law.

Renter told me she's pregnant. Anything I should keep in mind?

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