Office space to residential rentals?

Question

I saw a small vacant 2-unit office building (3600 sq ft total) for sale in a residential area and I was wondering whether this could be rezoned and converted a 2-4 unit rental?

What are some things I need to be thinking about and/or researching?

What are some building codes typically required for residential zoning, but not required for office use?

Thanks,

Q

Evan Polaski · Answer

@Quan Pang, first confirm it is both zoned commercial and what the rules are about putting residential in a commercial zone.  Typically, residential is considered the "highest use" from a zoning stand point.  Therefore you can often put residential in any lower use area, but you cannot put lower uses (i.e. commercial or industrial) in higher use areas.

But I would confirm with the zoning and land use office to confirm you can convert.  Once you have that, it typically comes down to dollars to convert.  Typical big ticket upgrades that might need to be addressed: plumbing will almost certainly need updated throughout to handle additional kitchens and baths.  HVAC, electrical, and layout/flow issues.  Typically, you need egress windows for each bedroom, two access points for each unit (meaning front and back access, and second stairway/fire escape for second floor units).

Quan Pang · Answer

@Evan Polaski

Appreciate the thorough response. You brought up a lot of important considerations that I didn't think about. Thank you!

Aigo Pyles · Answer

You have to check it with your local zoning.