Renting by room in Tacoma, WA legal issues, etc

[Erin Caldwell]

Hi everyone! 

I am super interested in buying homes to rent-per-room (individual leases) in Tacoma, WA. As many know, the Seattle region has a housing shortage, and I think this type of housing would be desirable for people who have steady jobs and good credit but can't afford to pay $1500/month for a 1 bedroom. From what I can calculate, I could make a ton more money than renting the entire house. I know, I know, there will be more management time involved but I think it would be worth the money. 

As far as my not-very-in-depth Google search has shown, I don't see any limitations or legal issues with renting per room on 3-6 month leases in Tacoma. I know there is an air-bnb restriction, but it looks like that's for super short term rentals....and you just need a permit for that. I don't want to jump into anything illegal.

Any insight?

Also, does anyone have experience with this sort of rental?