I'm looking at an investment property in St. Pete. Neighborhood Suburban (NS) Zoning - so newly eligible for a new ADU build. The property size meets the requirements for NS to add an ADU under the recently adopted Ordinance 509-H - and we were able to confirm that with the city. There is already a detached garage that can be converted to an ADU - so the second structure already exists on the property.
What I've been unable to confirm with the City (waiting on a Dev Rev appointment ...) is - can I rent the both the primary house and the ADU separately? Effectively - by adding the ADU, I'd like to make it a two unit property (ala a Duplex). The cashflow doesn't work without doing so. Any experience, guidance, knowledge on this would be much appreciated. Let me know if any other detail/context would be helpful.
Renting the ADU out separately is common. ADU's are legally separated dwelling units from the main dwelling structure. Though, I don't have the written evidence from the State/County/City (in other words, I'm not a lawyer!) -- ADU's are built for this very purpose.
The ease on restrictions of ADU's was brought on by the need for additional housing to help lower the cost of living. I think St Petersburg has done a good job adding creative and beneficial ways to reduce prices and maintain a healthy balance for all income levels.
Of course, be sure to know about the utility billing situation for charging the tenants. One meter, two units -- landlord will need to keep utilities in their name and adjust rent price accordingly.
In short, yes you can rent Primary and ADU separately! As @Jared Decker said, it's quite common in St. Pete but there are certain restrictions dealing with ADU sqft, location and accessibility on the property so I would suggest looking into the specifics. As I'm sure you know, the ADU will need to include the basic living features required for any rental unit such as a kitchen w/ sink, bathroom, sleeping area, etc. but as long as you do your homework you're good to go!