Duplex House Hacking Advice

[Andrea Prada]

I purchased a duplex and I’m planning to live in one unit and rent the other one. I don’t want the renters to know that I’m the owner but I’m not sure how to do that since we’ll be neighbors and I have a realtor who will list and show the property but I’ll be the property manager and sign the lease agreement… or I’d appreciate any tips on minimizing issues if they know that I’m the owner. Thank you!

[Drew Sygit]

Quote from @Andrea Prada:

I purchased a duplex and I’m planning to live in one unit and rent the other one. I don’t want the renters to know that I’m the owner but I’m not sure how to do that since we’ll be neighbors and I have a realtor who will list and show the property but I’ll be the property manager and sign the lease agreement… or I’d appreciate any tips on minimizing issues if they know that I’m the owner. Thank you!

Everyone posting so far, is naive and hasn't been through what I've been through.

Evicted a tenant who then found my personal address and showed up with his motorcycle club buddies to threaten my wife (I wasn't home at the time).

How do you set boundaries on that?

You're going to be living right next door and if you somehow rent to a crazy tenant or your tenant has crazy friends, you may end up on the news:(

Yes, it will be difficult to hide that you are the owner and YOU will be the most likely to blow your own cover with a mistake.

Here's some ideas:

1) Put the property in an LLC
- Then you won't be lying when you say you are NOT the owner because the LLC is.

2) When you create the LLC, do NOT put yourself as the LLC agent or use your own address!
- You will need to find an LLC support company to accept & forward your mail.

3) Get a PO Box for ALL your mail
- You will get all sorts of junk mail once the world knows you bought a house and have a mortgage. Inevitably, the post office will put a piece of your mail in your tenant's mailbox, blowing your cover:( Or the tenant could snoop in your mailbox.

4) Play you are another tenant, NOT the PM!
- Why would you want them pounding on your door at 2am about a maintenance issue?

5) Agents & Handymen may blow your cover
- Both may take the path of least resistance to knock on your door while they're there doing something, disclosing you are the owner. Of course, you can warn them several times, but they are still highly likely to screw up. So, you may need to hide your identity from them also!

6) Family & Friends may blow your cover
- You have guests over and they bump into the tenant, how do you stop them from disclosing you're the owner to the tenant?

As you can see, there's a LOT of risks.

Hiring a PMC may reduce a lot of these though.