TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 16:05:52 GMT -5
A lot of people in our neighborhood rent out their basement because most of them have their own entrance.
Some have an actual bedroom downstairs or like mine they call it a suite/studio (big open space with kitchen and bathroom). Per the postings I see on Nextdoor people are renting them out for $1,200-$1,500/month.
Anyway this lady posted about her old tenants that used to rent from her but moved out to MD and now want to move back into DC. The twist: it is a family of 4 with 2 kids aged 2 and 4.
No one posted offering up their information / basement and I am thinking that most people want to rent out their basement to 1 person or at the most a couple.... 4 people is a bit pushing it I think.
All the homes are similar so depending on finishes/storage etc we are talking 540 sqft of space.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2017 16:11:51 GMT -5
Absolutely not. A professional person or couple is one thing. A family, never.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Aug 6, 2017 16:15:17 GMT -5
Out of curiosity, are you able and are the other people in your neighborhood getting certificates of occupancy before they rent out their basements?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 16:18:28 GMT -5
No, and I could do it (other than the fact that it would violate HOA laws). I have a lower level with 2 bedrooms, a living room area, a full bath and kitchen and a porch overlooking a lake. (The elderly parents of the wife of the could who previously owned it lived there for 13 years.) I enjoy peace and privacy and would go nuts with that much company. It would also get very crowded when DS and DDIl visit since there's only the master BR and a tiny one with a single bed on the main floor.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 16:24:08 GMT -5
Out of curiosity, are you able and are the other people in your neighborhood getting certificates of occupancy before they rent out their basements? I know we could for ours (look into it at some point) but we decided not too since we needed every sqft possible. But good to know if things get rough, we have the option of renting out the basement if need be / month to month or airbnb. Another thing that is rocking DC/pissing off people: new laws against airbnb (lobbied by the hotel industry).
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Aug 6, 2017 16:25:22 GMT -5
I wouldn't..
But it's pretty common in my city for landlords to rental illegally to folks.
One family I knew had 9 people in a 3 bedroom..3 adults (mom, dad, uncle), 3 older siblings (middle school-college) and three kids under 4, including a newborn. We're talking like 1K total sq feet.
I think the rule is 200sq feet per person in a rental situation for it to be kosher.
I've forgotten how the sleeping arrangements went. I think mom and dad coslept with the younger three. Older brother and uncle shared one room, and the older girls shared the last bedroom.
In our first place At one point, #2 slept in the living room..we had 850 ft of space..but I was also teaching lessons out of bedroom 2. So, we couldn't put two kids in the 2nd bedroom.
We've dubbed #4 the squatter.
You do what you need to do.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 16:32:51 GMT -5
I wouldn't.. But it's pretty common in my city for landlords to rental illegally to folks. One family I knew had 9 people in a 3 bedroom..3 adults (mom, dad, uncle), 3 older siblings (middle school-college) and three kids under 4, including a newborn. We're talking like 1K total sq feet. I think the rule is 200sq feet per person in a rental situation for it to be kosher. I've forgotten how the sleeping arrangements went. I think mom and dad coslept with the younger three. Older brother and uncle shared one room, and the older girls shared the last bedroom. In our first place At one point, #2 slept in the living room..we had 850 ft of space..but I was also teaching lessons out of bedroom 2. So, we couldn't put two kids in the 2nd bedroom. We've dubbed #4 the squatter. You do what you need to do. I thought you only had 3 kids? When did #4 come around? Have I missed something?
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Aug 6, 2017 16:38:21 GMT -5
Giramomma is pregnant To answer your question, NO WAY. I might rent to a single person or a couple, but not a family.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Aug 6, 2017 16:53:30 GMT -5
I thought you only had 3 kids? When did #4 come around? Have I missed something? I don't post on the WIR kid thread much due to time. We are having a bonus baby at some point in Mid-December.. Found out about the kid and grad school acceptance on the same day.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Aug 6, 2017 17:03:49 GMT -5
Ummm I need to figure out in how many different languages I can say "NO" Wait, was OP even a real question Without even thinking I already came up with many potential problems....
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2017 17:06:38 GMT -5
Spend less is a better plan
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 17:14:34 GMT -5
I thought you only had 3 kids? When did #4 come around? Have I missed something? I don't post on the WIR kid thread much due to time. We are having a bonus baby at some point in Mid-December.. Found out about the kid and grad school acceptance on the same day. Congratulations !!!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 17:21:30 GMT -5
It depends how well I knew the family and if they were going to stay in the basement. My basement is 1300 sf with 3 bedrooms, so it's not like there would be a lack of space, but there is no kitchen/laundry down there and I wouldn't want other people's kids running around through my space. I have a hard enough time tolerating mine! When I was first time through single mom with a toddler, I thought the perfect situation for me would be to find another single mom or a mom to rent the basement, but I'm not exactly in a location where someone would rent a room. There are plenty of rentals in town where they wouldn't have to deal with the roads in the winter.
I wouldn't do it in your situation. I thought the place was pretty small already and with 4 of you upstairs and 4 down...omg...I'd go nuts. But I need a lot of personal space.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 17:23:12 GMT -5
Ummm I need to figure out in how many different languages I can say "NO" Wait, was OP even a real question Without even thinking I already came up with many potential problems.... That is the question : would you do it? I can't seem to find any good reason why someone would do it but I was wrong, someone jus posted they would. ETA: kids are older than I originally Thought. So 6 and 3 I guess. imagehost ruAnd this brave soul just offered: imagehost ru
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2017 17:26:03 GMT -5
They're nuts and tenants are a pita when they're not in your home. In your home it's worse.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 17:26:35 GMT -5
Spend less is a better plan That was not the question
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 17:28:39 GMT -5
I wouldn't do it in your situation. I thought the place was pretty small already and with 4 of you upstairs and 4 down...omg...I'd go nuts. But I need a lot of personal space. Was not asking for us, just a general question.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 17:30:58 GMT -5
I actually DID rent my basement out to a family of 4 for two months fifteen years ago. But it was my SIL and her husband and two kids and the kids were 11 and 15 at the time. They were moving to our town for her job and needed a place temporarily until they found something and closed on it. It went fine, but they were family and it was more of an extended visit. Our basement wasn't even finished at the time.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Aug 6, 2017 17:34:27 GMT -5
To me it's telling that she is posting trying to find a basement apt for them, but not offering to rent her own to them again.
I can't seem to find any good reason why someone would do it
If you mean why they'd rent to a family of four, me neither. (I'm assuming that if someone needs the rental income, they could rent to a single person/couple instead.)
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Aug 6, 2017 17:46:10 GMT -5
To me it's telling that she is posting trying to find a basement apt for them, but not offering to rent her own to them again. I can't seem to find any good reason why someone would do it
Not sure if you mean, to rent or to rent to a family of four. To rent, because money. To rent to a family of four, me neither. Her basement is probably already rented. Given the ages of the children I'm guessing she had the four in her unit. She must like them or she wouldn't post.
We're reconfiguring our downstairs area (aka walk-out basement) in a way that sometime down the road it could be rented out as a separate unit. It's about 700 sq.ft. and would rent for about $1,500/mth. Our next door neighbor has done it for the last several years but to a 50 something single woman. It would have to be a very special situation for me to consider renting to a family of four.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Aug 6, 2017 17:47:34 GMT -5
To me it's telling that she is posting trying to find a basement apt for them, but not offering to rent her own to them again. I can't seem to find any good reason why someone would do it
If you mean why they'd rent to a family of four, me neither. (I'm assuming that if someone needs the rental income, they could rent to a single person/couple instead.) That was my thinking also... also basements being small confined space (540 sqft) most prefer to rent to 1 person or at the most a couple. 4 person there I think would be a bit much but back in Haiti people have done it with less square footage (I've become Americanized lol). I just think anyone that rent their basements out if they had a choice between 1 person or a couple vs a family of 4, they would pick that 1 person or couple. Would that be considered discrimination though? Not renting to them because of their family size?
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2017 17:56:46 GMT -5
Legally a bedroom can only be rented to two people or a third one under two years of age.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Aug 6, 2017 19:10:33 GMT -5
I have children. I would NOT rent to anyone with children anywhere near my own house/property, much less INSIDE my own house. No matter how well behaved, children bring destruction and noise. I already have that in my house from my own children. I don't need it from anyone else's.
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suesinfl
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Post by suesinfl on Aug 6, 2017 19:15:24 GMT -5
My older sister and her DH had a basement apt. in NC that they rented out to either singles or couples and it worked out great for them. I would rent an apartment/basement like they had in a heart beat...other than it had no windows other than the door. No way would I rent out such a small space to a family of four.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2017 19:16:38 GMT -5
Yikes that seems dangerous
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milee
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Post by milee on Aug 6, 2017 19:29:49 GMT -5
My older sister and her DH had a basement apt. in NC that they rented out to either singles or couples and it worked out great for them. I would rent an apartment/basement like they had in a heart beat...other than it had no windows other than the door. No way would I rent out such a small space to a family of four. The problem is that it's illegal (federal law) to refuse to rent to a renter with children. Based on the occupancy laws in your specific area, a landlord can restrict the total number of people who can legally rent a property but can't legally require that those people be adults. For example, if occupancy laws in NC state that landlords can't rent to more than the number of bedrooms times 2 people, then a landlord with a one bedroom apartment could restrict renting to 2 or less total people, but couldn't specify that the 2 be adults. Not sure if this will change under the new administration, but in the past it was risky for landlords to refuse to rent to people with children because HUD would send out fake renters to see if landlords were discriminating.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Aug 6, 2017 19:30:33 GMT -5
Not to a family.
I have rented out bedrooms to single people in the past and it worked out well. I was living in the house, across the hall, so I knew they were not trashing my house.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Aug 6, 2017 20:01:35 GMT -5
We have 2 bedrooms, a small living room, full bath and a room that could be easily made into a kitchen. The basement has its own entrance, is about 1300 sq ft and we likely could rent it out for about $2000/mo (rents are obscene here). But I don't want to.
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Shooby
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Post by Shooby on Aug 6, 2017 20:07:14 GMT -5
No
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Aug 6, 2017 22:25:37 GMT -5
I've never lived in a home that had a basement, so I don't have a great frame of reference about how much you would hear/see/interact with tenants.
We value our privacy, and would put a premium on that. If we were to rent out the 2nd master suite in our house (walk-in closet, bathroom) .... on opposite end of our house from the other 3 bedrooms, I suspect that we would only rent it to a single quiet person (who hopefully likes cats).... and then only if we had a financial crisis of some sort.
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