Living in My Garage

[Fisher Hudak]

Can I live in my garage and rent out the rooms in my house?

Background: I am 22 and bought my first house hack two years ago. It was a home run and I am ready to do it again. Interest rates are making deals a lot harder to come by. I am looking for a creative solution.

I can't seem to find a clear answer on this. I understand that you cannot rent out a garage as a living space to someone else, unless properly finished and approved by the city, but could I live in it? Theoretically, if I did enough work so that it fit my needs and lived in it as my primary, would I be violating any laws or aspects of an owner-occupied loan?

[Anthony Swain]

@Fisher Hudak

A TON of respect for the hustle. My guy is out here living in his garage to make his house hack more profitable. Can you talk about delayed gratification?!

To make sure it's legal, I would dive deep into the zoning/code regulations and try to connect with someone in your area who is doing something similar. They might be able to steer you in the right direction.

To piggyback off of @Jake Andronico, I'd consult your lender about your intentions to see if they would need any specific requirements. That is a smart idea to prevent anything negatively happening with your loan. 

Just brainstorming here, but once you move on from this property, then maybe you can continue to rent the garage separately. I believe @Ryan Thomson had some success with that!

Good luck with everything! I can't wait to hear about how things turn out.