Tenant screening / number of occupants
I have a small one bedroom apartment for rent. Can I legitimately limit this to one occupant? I have several people inquiring about the place who want two people to move in.
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- Real Estate Broker
- Cody, WY
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HUD allows you to set "reasonable" occupancy limits. The rule of thumb is two people per bedroom, plus one more. So you could fit three people in a one-bedroom unit. However, HUD further states that you can/should adjust the numbers based on square feet, size of bedroom, flexible space, etc.
I have some apartments that are two rooms: kitchen/dining room and living/sleeping room. They also include utilities. For this reason, I tell them the advertised rate is for single occupancy, and it's an extra $75 per month for a second person because of the additional utility use. In four years of ownership I have only had a second occupant twice.
- Nathan Gesner
