Non Grandfathered Rental With 2 Units

[crumb]

What is the name of your state? UT
I have a house that has a mother in law apartment in the basement. It is not grandfathered for duplex status so it is only a single family home. The rules for a single family home state no more than 3 unrelated people. Can I rent the units separately but with a max of 3 unrelated people total or is it illegal to rent as 2 separate units? I want to rent with 2 people on main level and 1 in the basement.

 

[justalayman]

If it is illlegal to have the apartment, you can’t legallly rent it to anybody

Does it even meet building codes, especially concerning 2 means of egress?

Can you provide a,link or info regarding the code limiting the occupancy to 3 unrelated people. Without reading it anything would be a guess.

 

[FarmerJ]

If you say remove the cook stove& maybe the fridge from the basement and say remove locks that may have kept a internal door between the units open Then rent the entire home to three people who want to be roommates and let them decide how to split the rent and utilities since one of them could have more space or more so called privacy then the others.

 

[quincy]

Here is a link to housing discrimination laws in Utah (click on, Are occupancy limits legal?):
https://laborcommission.utah.gov/FAQ/discrimination_in_housing.html
There are zoning laws and building codes in Utah cities that can limit the number of unrelated adults living in a home. Logan, Utah, is one example. Here is a link:
https://www.loganutah.org/government/departments/community_development/business_licensing/landlordbusinesslicense.php
You will want to check your own city's zoning and building codes, and acquire proper licensing.

 

[LdiJ]

If you say remove the cook stove& maybe the fridge from the basement and say remove locks that may have kept a internal door between the units open Then rent the entire home to three people who want to be roommates and let them decide how to split the rent and utilities since one of them could have more space or more so called privacy then the others.

I don't think that Utah is one of those states where you cannot have two kitchens in a single family home.

 

[quincy]

I don't think that Utah is one of those states where you cannot have two kitchens in a single family home.

A lot depends on the specific city building codes.

 

[justalayman]

I don't think that Utah is one of those states where you cannot have two kitchens in a single family home.

I don’t know any state that prohibits 2 kitchens. Not only do the states generally not control such an issue, there is no reason to prohibit 2 kitchrhs. Just think how many people have deck kitchens in addition to their primary kichen.

 

[LdiJ]

I don’t know any state that prohibits 2 kitchens. Not only do the states generally not control such an issue, there is no reason to prohibit 2 kitchrhs. Just think how many people have deck kitchens in addition to their primary kichen.

I agree however FarmerJ seemed to think that the OP needed to remove the second kitchen.

 

[justalayman]

I agree however FarmerJ seemed to think that the OP needed to remove the second kitchen.

I can’t think of a reason why other than it would help avoid a claim by the local that it is a separate unit downstairs.

There may be some bullding code issues with a kitchen in a basement I’m not aware of as well. I hope notmsince I grew up with a basement kitchen and there are homes that are essentially basements with a roof on them that have kitchens.

I suspect it’s more so as to be able to show it is not two separate units but a single unit shared by 3 people.

 

[FarmerJ]

If there are no other zoning issues regarding the basement rooms then renting the entire house as one unit may be fine, when I lived in Minneapolis if you had a home that had been made into a 2 unit under a older code and you wanted to decertify back to a one unit home then you had to remove the second kitchen sink and cap the pipes and bury in the walls and remove the cook stove. IF you had been caught with a so called illegal apartment in your home you had to do the same things , BUT I have seen many homes that had regular kitchen sinks and apartment sized stoves in basement rec rooms, party rooms, family rooms etc and If a landlord rented the entire house out so upper tenants had access to the basement kitchen/ living room, rec room and downstairs tenants could easily go upstairs and use a kitchen up there or the living room up there then there shouldn't be a issue if tenants are all equally able to use every thing but each others bedrooms and work out who pays how much between them selfs.