Duplex requirements questions

[Craig Brown]

Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a church and using it for rentals. The property is zoned for single or duplex residences, so, in order to allow for more renters, I am planning to use it as a duplex. It obviously was not designed as a duplex so I have a couple questions about hard requirements for a structure to be seen as a duplex. Hoping you all can help me.

It is near a college campus and my plan is to rent out space to college kids. They will share bathrooms and kitchen and some common areas,  but will have their own lockable private rooms. More dorm style living than apartment or private residence. My city allows up to two additional unrelated parties (in addition to the primary resident) to occupy a single home (ie, someone can rent out up to two rooms in their house to renters), so being able to use it as a duplex allows me to have up to 6 people living there.

Because the zoning allows for it, can I just tell the city it is a duplex, and they'll give me a second mailing address, and I'm good to go? or what are my potential issues and problems? 

I am assuming I don't need to split the utility hookup. But would like to confirm that. [I will be paying it and just including it in the rent (power and gas, as well as water, sewer, garbage)]

I have multiple entrances, so I can assign one to each side of the "duplex" if needed, but the structure doesn't really have a way to physically separate the living spaces. The tenants will all want to use the same entrance and will be sharing some common space to get to their private areas.

My two biggest concerns/questions are the kitchen, common areas, and bathrooms.

There are multiple bathrooms so I can assign at least one to each side of the residences but the bathrooms aren't physically separated. they are all accessible to all parties via the common hallways and areas. 

The building has only one kitchen so there is no way to split it so that each of the duplex residences has it's own kitchen. If required I could possibly stick a stove or something in a spare room and say that is the kitchen for one of the duplex sides if needed. Even though it wouldn't really ever be used. It would only be there to meet code requirements for the building to be called a duplex.

Lastly, just the fact that everyone will be integrated via common hallways, etc. Can I still call it a duplex? what problems am i going to run into potentially? I guess I could put up a lockable doorway in the building to make it more separate, but all renters would still need to access the community kitchen.

Thanks for any help.