Househacking- Lease a room without egress windows?

[Andrew Dincola]

Hey All,

I’m occupying my 3/4 house outside of Denver and I’m working on getting all of the spare rooms rented out. The house has a bonus 4th room with a closet in the finished basement, but it doesn’t have legitimate egress windows… in fact, it has no windows at all. While chewing on the morality of leasing the windowless room to a tenant, I’m seeking more information and advice regarding the legal and practical factors of doing so.

When speaking with my HO insurance provider it sounds as though there is no risk of voiding my coverage so long as the lease contains sufficient verbiage showing disclosure and agreement of the fact that they are renting a room with insufficient egress.

Installing an egress window isn’t out of the question, but it would require demolishing the elaborate brick/mason front porch, reconfiguring the layout from the front door to the driveway, and rebuilding the concrete, landscaping, and deck/porch to support it. Needless to say, I’m just exploring some less complicated, less expensive options before I pull the trigger.

Any perspectives, advice, or Denver area legal consultant recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

You rock, BP. Thanks for your help!