Rent per room? Is it possible?

Question

If i have a house with 6 rooms and 5 bathrooms ( its not a multifamily) can i rent every room like if it was  a multifamily?

(If not) why?

Justin Tahilramani · Answer

Account Closed - the short answer is - it depends. Will you also be living in the house? If so, probably a higher likelihood that you can pull it off. Some areas have weird laws tho - so be careful. In Lubbock it was illegal for more that two unrelated people to live together.

Find Information about More Than Two Unrelated Persons at Home

The  majority of our neighborhoods in the City of Lubbock are zoned as  single family neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods no more than two  unrelated persons may live in a dwelling.

If  you read the ordinance for the residential zone, you will find that use  is limited to single family residences. In the definition section of  the Code of Ordinances, the definition of family is as follows: “One or  more persons related by blood, adoption, or marriage, or not more than  two (2) unrelated persons living and cooking together as a single  housekeeping unit.”

This  means that the City Of Lubbock does not limit the number of related  people who can live together in a residential structure in a residential  zone; the federal courts have held that to be unconstitutional.  However, if the people living together are not related, no more than two  may live together in a single family zone.

This  ordinance is enforced by complaint only. This means that we do not go  out looking for this violation. Usually, complaints come in following a  loud party or late-night disturbance. Sometimes a complaint will come in  because too many cars are parked in the yard. It is not usually the  actual cohabitation of too many people that prompts complaints, but  rather the actions of these cohabiters. You, as a citizen, can help a  great deal if you will write down the license numbers of the vehicles  that are at the property on a regular basis – the vehicles belonging to  the people who you believe actually live there. That way we can identify  the involved persons, who will be sent a notice and expected to comply.

Scott Mac · Answer

HI Jack,

Check with you city and see if they allow rooming houses (or whatever name they call them locally).

In some areas they may have to have lockable bedroom doors, and in some areas they may prohibit lockable bedroom doors.

There will be codes for this, as well as zoning, and the all important parking.

Another concern is tenant type should match the neighborhood, and that's for your ability to keep tenants as well as the neighbors not filing endless complaints against you for everything they can think of.

What I mean is if you start a halfway house for recovering derelicts in the middle of Beverly Hills the neighbors will probably cause you endless legal trouble until you close it down, and you will not have a lot of prospective tenants wanting to rent there because a cup of coffee is $18 and there are no pawn shops or liquor stores around.

So even if you can do it, the question is should you do it there.

just my 2 cents on this.

Good Luck!