Accountant · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 303 posts · 210 votes
Hey,
I'm looking at a triplex that is zoned RSA-5 for single family. It has been operating as a triplex for a long time? Is there any place I can look online to see if it has the proper variance?
You can either request the Certification Statement from the owner/seller or you can contact L&I to verify or provide a copy. Also the title company should be verifying this information prior to settlement.
How long? Variances should be recorded documents with the county or city. I doubt there's a variance though to allow three units instead of one. Use variances are rare and areas are rarely downzoned to single-family, so unless it's really and predates zoning ordinances (pre 1930s probably), it likely wasn't done legally. Are there other triplexes nearby or other multi-family?