unfinished space legal ?

[William Donnelly]

Hello Everyone. I have a luxury unit that is currently being renovated. It still needs paint, carpet, new toilets, attic insulation, new upstairs heat pump, and the downstairs still needs to be cleaned and painted. The previous tenants were inside smokers and vacated the place leaving it trashed. 

When fixing a different AC unit, my AC repair man noticed the luxury unit and has stated that he would like to move into the unfinished unit because he's getting separated from his current wife. 

He has discussed working on completing the unit within 60 days, with quality work up to my standards and guidelines. He would pay a security deposit and pet deposit, but receive a sizeable discount off rent as long as he shows improvement and receipts until the renovations are complete. All details would ofcourse be in a contract.

Pro's - I secure a tenant now as opposed to later

- I work on rehab less 

Cons - I would have to trust his work, or micromanage repairs

- He is a very busy individual, with loud work trucks and a lot of equipment to disturb surrounding tenants

As tempting as this sounds, is it even legal to rent an unfinished space? 

If it is in fact legal, is this something anyone would recommend?

[Matthew Kreitzer]

Whether or not you may rent such a space depends almost entirely on your local municipal regulations and ordinances, and no one other than a very local attorney intimately familiar with this area of practice can answer that question.

If it is legal in your local area; it may be a good idea from a *business* perspective. I see this happen all the time in my local area; have a tradesman improve equity by renting out the unit.