Multifamily - Use as Single and Switch Back to Multi?

[Michael Garson]

I've been eyeing a multi in Philadelphia for a while, it was under contract, buyer lost financing and its back on.

Planning to attempt some mix of seller financing and my own creative efforts for downpayment, rehab funds.

The question is, it was being used as a single for a while. I got the city certification and it says 3 unit plus office, which is great, for later. But will the city have a problem if I live in it as a single, I have friends who would move in with me and share the fix up work, we can live in different units as we fix each one up.

Then switch back to multi later when the work is finished? I'm not sure if they'll come poking around and object after I buy it or not.