Renting out a basement versus a room

[Robert K.]

Hi everyone,

I currently live in GA, and I'm debating about renting out my basement.  It has a separate entrance, a full bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room.  Has anyone rented out the full basement with no access to the upstairs?  Were there any legal requirements or codes that had to be followed?  Does the zoning need to be changed to a duplex?

One of my concerns is the bedroom doesn't have a window so I'm not sure if that is a fire hazard. 

If I went a different route and said it was a room renting and allow access to upstairs does the legal requirements change?

Any other considerations I'm missing?

Thank you!