All Forum Posts by: Vince Espiritu

In case someone found this post, I'm answering my own question now. I found the answer while searching for Zoning Laws in Irvine, CA. If you're planning to househack a property in Irvine, CA by renting rooms, you would need to get a Conditionally Use Permit from the Planning Commission Department. Renting out rooms in Irvine, CA is considered as a boarding house and the city requires the owner of the property to obtain a Conditionally Use Permit. 

See this link to check the Land Use Matrix in Irvine, CA: 

CHAPTER 3-3. - LAND USE MATRIX | Zoning | Irvine, CA | Municode Library

Furthermore, as in any other city, you would need to obtain a building permit when converting your living room and garage to a bedroom. Also, you need to follow all the metrics constraints when building a bedroom as the city has specific rules on what a bedroom should be. Aside from that, Irvine requires that each tenant should have their available parking on-site. For example, if you have 3 bedrooms (3 tenants), you should have space in your property for 3 on-site parking.

Hi BP members,

I'm planning to househack in Irvine, CA. I'm aware that this market is expensive and don't have many small-multifamily properties. I chose this market because I will be working here in this city so rather than rent an apartment I can just buy a house and rent out the rooms. I'm mainly planning to buy a SFR with 4Beds/2Baths. On that note, I have two questions to all of the experienced investor in Irvine,CA.

1.) Is it legal to rent out by rooms in Irvine, CA? (I have seen a lot of room for rent listings online but not entirely sure if it is legal.)

2.) Can I convert my living room to a bedroom and live there legally? I want to do this to maximize my rent income.

3.) Is it legal to convert a garage to a bedroom? (Maybe I can add another bedroom for more income)

If any of the above is legal, are there any requirements like building permit or certain parameters to follow when renovating the house?

I would greatly appreciate all of you! Thanks in advance!

-Vince

Hi BP members,

I am planning to purchase a single-family house with at least 4beds/2baths. I can rent out all the rooms to tenants and live in the living room by converting it into a bedroom just by simply having a sliding door/wall divider. I have been searching Zoning Laws and Building code in Irvine, CA but I am still not sure if this is legal or not. I have read that the room you are renting out to your tenants needs to be "habitable." I believe I don't have any problems with that since the tenants are living in the actual bedrooms of the house. However, this does not answer my question if I can turn my living room into a bedroom. Could you help me out with this? Would you be able to provide some resources that I can read so I can find the answer I am looking for?

Note: Many houses in Irvine, CA rent out by rooms. I am assuming that renting out rooms is generally legal in Irvine, CA.

-Vince

@Maryanne Cameron - Totally makes sense! Thank you for your help, Maryanne!

@Michael Swan - I did not think about having personal reserves. This is very helpful to me! I'll keep that advice in mind. Thanks a lot, Michael!

@Maryanne Cameron - Thanks for that great answer! Just to clarify, the lawyer and title company are often hired by my bank (lender)? Is this the same with the escrow?

Also, I know how to run the numbers but I have not run them with contingencies. Could you explain more about running the numbers with contingencies? I would greatly appreciate it!

And I'll definitely take your advice to not get caught in paralysis! I'm still saving some capital for my first deal that's why I'm using this time to learn as much as I can.
 

Hi Kyle! That's a big help to me! Thanks for the detailed response!

@Aaron Zimmerman - That's a great idea! I would definitely add that to my list. Thanks, Aaron!

Hi Michael! Thanks for the response! Do you advice to have that cash reserves early on before purchasing the deal? I wanted to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. I was thinking maybe I can have at least $10,000 cash reserves before purchasing my first deal then add more money to my cash reserves from my day-job salary to make it $20,000 after closing my first deal.

@Brett McManus - I have been communicating with a Real Estate agent in my target market. I am also actively looking for lenders that can provide an FHA 203k loan. Once I am pre-approved, I just need to find a great deal to rehab and househack. Thanks for your opinion, Brett!