House Hacking Basement Newbie Questions

[Robin L.]

So we bought a house with a fully finished basement, it's a 2 bed, 1 bath with a full kitchen (fridge, sink, stove) and washer/dryer hook ups with it's own separate entrance and paved parking pad. We're looking into renting it out since we're never down there anyway and had a few questions:

1. Pricing: I have been looking on zillow, craigslist and hotpad but everything else on the market is much larger and much more expensive, typically 3+ bedroom homes, so I'm having a hard time calculating how much we should be asking. 

2. Utilities: Since it's the basement connected to our house, we pay the utilities, not sure how to factor that into the rent?

3. Mail: I'm thinking of putting it in the rental agreement that they need to get a PO box and not have mail delivered here, just to keep it simple. Or is there an easier way to do this?

4. Other factors: since these people will be living below us, it's a different situation than a stand alone rental on the other side of town. What unique factors should I be considering?

Thanks!

[Ray Harrell]

Are there two entrances/exits for the unit? If so, then it's a legal apartment. Put a unit number on it and put up a mailbox! Charge for "utilities included", any amount you want really. People love not having to worry about that. Ever better if you include cable and internet! If a 3bd/1ba in the area is going for $800, I'd say charge $800, utilities, internet, cable included!