Claiming bonus dwelling rent in r1a

[Bruce C.]

Hello everyone. Me and my wife currently live in Metairie, LA and our property has a guest house detached from our home. The property is zoned R1A. Its current use is an office and photo studio for my wifes business. My question is can we rent this guesthouse out and claim the rental income legally so we can show some land lording experience on paper to banks to get us started? Note: I have been told I have to insure this property as a storage unit due to our zoning, but recently the home was appraised for a refi and the appraiser stated in his paperwork that it was a "guest house". Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.