Handicap Rental Rehab or nah?

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In our area, a new senior assisted living facility is all ADA compliant and the monthly rents and care go for $8,000+ per month per resident these are biomedically isolated units so no COVID-19 spreading between the sick. Air is all Filtered with Hago systems. I like the ADA compliant building rules and would plan on it with any new construction. but with our older 4 plexes, it would not be cost-effective to do. larger buildings can add elevators and make allowances for ADA issues like Wheelchair access. but structural changes are expensive like widening doorways or hallways if possible. We add the extra grab bars in showers and change all doorknobs to door handles. but think new Covid-19 changes to construction and new technology like the standing wheelchair will change many things like the counter height. so waiting for them before any new conversions. lots of new tech for the blind so making all units Smart Building ready for 2021 will help. as many amenities as you can add will increase your rents in the right areas.

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@David Mathews, If its a handicapped rental. The layout should be a little different. 1. It should be wheelchair accessible 2. The flooring should have less obstacles.3. Light switches, countertops, etc should be lower.4. Door of the place should be wider - for the wheelchair5. Personal alarm in the bedroom and bathroom (Call buttons)If the property is quiet old, then ADA compliance may not be applicable.

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Hey David -So what I’m curious about is are there any pros that outweigh the cons on going back with wide interior doors and such?I understand your concerns about extra space the 36" doors consume. On the flip side, it makes the house feel "open", makes the doors usable for all people (able-bodied vs physically impaired) and activities (stroller, moving furniture). If you're doing the work yourself and don't mind extra work, consider pocket door or barn style when space is available. What else would need to be done to call it handicap accessible if I did stay with that size and would it be a more sought after rental?"Accessible" is a relative term. What is considered accessible for someone in a wheelchair is different compared to someone with a prosthetic on their leg. If you attempt to implement the ADA, you will quickly forego that idea once you spend a few minutes reviewing the guidelines. Also, the ADA does not apply to residential housing unless you're using federal funds and even in those instances, you can get variances for certain requirements. What you really want to focus on is universal design if you plan on remodeling with accessibility in mind. Read this link on Ron Mace. I incorporate universal design characteristics all the time in my rehabs regardless of the intended users. For example, if I'm pouring a sidewalk to a front door with 1-2 steps, I slope the sidewalk to the landing and backfill to the top of the concrete resulting in a natural sloping sidewalk. No steps, no railings, looks natural, 100% accessible without the look, maintenance free, etc. This is universal design. In terms of marketing the rental, the first stop is income restricted/section 8. Louisiana has a Medicaid Waiver program with individuals who have a physical disability looking for rentals. You probably want to start with the Residential Options Waiver. If you want to leave the income restricted category and discuss fair market rent tenants, there are no rules or hoops to jump through. Just you, your time, how much "accessibility" you want to incorporate, and your rental plan. At minimum, you want to incorporate visitability. If you wanted to keep those features in the house and rehab the rest of the house traditional, you'd still be at the top of most rental lists with these baseline features. If its not too much trouble, keep a full bath and bed on the main level and you're home free. I spend my professional life working nationally on residential accessibility so if you want to reach out, please send an IM.

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Hi David, For a couple of years I was a property manager before getting into my own properties. Some of the units I managed were duplexes and triplexes specifically tailored for people needing additional assistance or better suited living scenarios. I guess before reading further I should ask you the question of are you trying to have "wheelchair access" or are you trying to be able to market yourself as "ADA compliant"? There is a difference. If you want to make something "wheelchair accessible" be ready to have possible issues with tenants expecting ADA compliance. The properties I managed included different features that were more tailored to a person that was blind, or mentally challenged, or someone in a wheelchair. Every one of the units that were for people in wheelchairs had the lower cabinet countertops, wider doors, ramps if necessary, either a large space to wheel into for a shower or one of those side panel opening tubs, lower sinks in bathrooms, some had assistance swing arms for using the toilet (not everyone of the tenants required this feature and was quite expensive to order and maintain), washer and dryers that were spaced just slight to allow someone in a wheel chair access to both when both doors were open. All areas were required to have the ability to turn around in their wheelchair if needed. These are just some of the things that came off the top of my head as far as what attracted people with special needs to these homes. Just because a place has a ramp does not make it ADA compliant, and on top of that every state has a little extra thing to add to ADA compliant homes. I would start with looking up ADA compliance rules at www.ada.gov then checking with your state if they have anything additional say. That will probably help you determine what you're getting yourself into for legalities and costs. Hope this helped and good luck!