How to rent house to 2 different families?

Question

Hello, I am absolutely new, never rented before. I am looking for my first rental property in greater Boston area. Obviously in towns with potentially good tenants price for multifamily is so high that most likely my mortgage  won't be covered by rent payments. However if i get raised ranch house, and add kitchen downstairs, It can be converted to 2 apartments. Downstairs unit has separate door and a large window to compile with fire regulations. Can I legally rent it for 2 different families? I know that in this town even apartments are rented by rooms to several tenants. How it can be done?

Steve Vaughan · Answer

Lesson learned for me, too!  Parking and such probably.

At least learned early before a bunch of time and effort (and dreaming) expended!

Steve Vaughan · Answer

Fire code on a 2-fam is very different than a 1, especially up/down.  Like Brian mentions, your city will be able to spell it out for you.

A side by side arrangement would be much easier to convert.  With an up/down, the entire ceiling would need to have a higher fire rating.  My guess.

Retro-conversions and dealing with city bureaucracies are not conducive to 10x napping (by a longshot), so not my specialty.  I'd get informed by the city and go from there.

Brian Ellis · Answer

Welcome to BP Elena,

Id start by going to the town hall and asking them what is required to make it legal. They will know all the answers.

Good Luck!

Lien Vuong · Answer

It is unlikely you would be able to do that without triggering some sort of building or fire code violation. There's more to an apartment than a kitchen and bathroom also. You also need a certain amount of space and two means of egress at minimum just to point some of key elements.

Be careful when speaking to the city about that as they could also come to the property and fine you so I would ask just 'general' questions and not specifically to the address. Some city hall are more strict than others.

You could look into finding properties with large bedrooms and try renting out the rooms to college students if you find that you cannot afford a multi in the area also. Just another strategy you can explore.

Elena Pech · Answer

Thanks @Brian Ellis and @Steve Vaughan . I contacted building department in town hall. The key issue was that lot size was under 6000. This is a minimum for 2 apartments. Never thought that lot size would be a major issue :) Lesson learned.

Ray Harrell · Answer

Unfortunately, you can't just add a kitchen and call it an apartment. Will the downstairs people have direct access to the upstairs unit? Do the ceiling heights meet code for a residential dwelling unit? Is there a separate water/electric/gas meter? A "large window" may not count as a legal egress. These are all things to think about, and your city/town building code has details. Keep in mind that if you do any modifications, you may be required to meet CURRENT building code, whereas the current setup may be OK under previous building code.

Lien Vuong · Answer

It depends on the zone, that's how the city's planning and zoning department can keep the city looking consistent and in a conforming way. It would be outrageous if you started to build a 10 story building in the middle of a single family residential neighborhood even if you had the land.

Changing the property from a single to a two will require a lot of zoning, city, and building approval because it drastically changes the price of the property, it increases number of tenants - a two family would have 4 people in each unit -, and there's safety and traffic aspects to it also. It's not a simple answer as a post.

Keep in mind you cannot just rent rooms and go on your merry way. You may do what you please with your property as long as its conforming with city guideline. You must live on site to do that legally in most cities or it would be considered a boarding room house and that requires a special license.

While these are very good and strategic thoughts on your end, it is imperative that you maintain within the guidelines of the city's regulations and adhere to their codes for the safely of the public and for you as the owner or landlord.

Why don't you just do whatever you want and not tell them? Simply put, liability. If you rented your property out in these unregulated methods and there happens to be a horrific fire and people get killed inside your property and you are renting it as two independent units and there's a death. Insurance will not cover that policy and you're at fault, negligent, and have committed fraud and you're fully liable for all damages. I'm not trying to scare you but these are very realistic circumstances that do happen and that's why there's safety rules in place.

Elena Pech · Answer

Thanks @Lien Vuong  You just touched a very important aspect, that I don't quite understand. Let's assume that there are no safety issues, the house has 4 doors. Why I can't rent it to 2 different families ,  but from the same time I can rent separate rooms for 4 different individuals? How it works?

How to rent house to 2 different families?

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