Design and furnish strategy for non conforming duplex

[Bruce Tieu]

Hi guys,

I just closed on my second property. It’s a split level house with 2 / 1 on each level, both about 900sqft. There’s a separate kitchen and living space on each level, acting as a non-conforming up/down duplex. I plan to occupy one of the basement rooms while short term renting the upstairs on AirBNB / Vrbo for additional revenue. After moving out, I will rent both floors out on a mid term basis.

Given that these units will eventually be MTR, how should the upstairs and downstairs be designed? Should they be almost identical minus a couple of decor items? Or should they be noticeably different to potentially capture a larger amount of people? How would these design decisions affect revenue?

[Jonathan Greene]

Quote from @Bruce Tieu:

Quote from @Jonathan Greene:

Are you saying this is zoned as a single-family and is not a legal two-family home? If so, you will likely get caught when it goes up on Furnished Finder by someone, and you will also have insurance issues and potential town issues. If not, maybe I misunderstood how you were phrasing it. Are there separate entrances and exits?

For design, it really depends on your preference? If I had two units, I would design them differently, but not drastically. MTR is more of a convenience and less of an amenity play.

Thats right, it’s only zoned single family. There are separate entrances and exits.

I’ve decided to design them pretty much identically, minus a couple decor and furniture items.

I think identical works also. I would be VERY careful with the town. Once you put both units up on Furnished Finder, it's not hard to see that two units are renting in a single-family. It's something you want to account for in advance since it is technically not allowed.