HouseHacking in Irvine,CA

[Vince Espiritu]

Hi BP members,

I'm planning to househack in Irvine, CA. I'm aware that this market is expensive and don't have many small-multifamily properties. I chose this market because I will be working here in this city so rather than rent an apartment I can just buy a house and rent out the rooms. I'm mainly planning to buy a SFR with 4Beds/2Baths. On that note, I have two questions to all of the experienced investor in Irvine,CA.

1.) Is it legal to rent out by rooms in Irvine, CA? (I have seen a lot of room for rent listings online but not entirely sure if it is legal.)

2.) Can I convert my living room to a bedroom and live there legally? I want to do this to maximize my rent income.

3.) Is it legal to convert a garage to a bedroom? (Maybe I can add another bedroom for more income)

If any of the above is legal, are there any requirements like building permit or certain parameters to follow when renovating the house?

I would greatly appreciate all of you! Thanks in advance!

-Vince