Duplex zoned as Single Family

[Erica L.]

Hey all,

I know this may be a very sensitive subject for some to comment on - or people may not feel comfortable commenting publicly (feel free to PM me). I’m looking at a duplex that was illegally converted (proper permits weren’t pulled/zoning is still single family residential). I don’t want to pass up the opportunity because numbers like this don’t come by often. However, I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew - or have any money I make be lost through fines and the whole process of conversion. I have a call out to the zoning department to ask about possibly being grandfathered in since it was done prior to my ownership. I’ll also ask how easy and how much the whole process would be to have it legally converted. However, yearly leases are in place and I highly doubt the housing authority would make me evict a tenant just to convert it back. This may be a stupid assumption though 🤷🏻‍♀️ I also have a call out to my lawyer to weigh in.

I know a lot of investors are fine with this type of thing - and I know a lot are probably like “heck no”…. I’d just like this post to spark up a respectful and constructive debate for each side, weighing the pros and cons of each. 
 
Thank you all in advance for your time and opinions in this matter. Again, feel free to PM me if you have strong opinions on this topic but don’t feel comfortable publicly commenting. 😇

~Erica