Mother-In-Law Compartments

The Ogden City council passed an ordinance Tuesday allowing for the rental of Mother-In-Law apartment space in single family residences. On the surface this has huge implications for the use of space in R-1 Zoned neighborhoods. I contacted several folks on the city council and fortunately got some clarification on what is going on.

It appears that the Mt. Ogden neighborhood above Harrison Blvd. is going to be the first guinea pig for this law.

Here is what the law requires:

1. The home must be owner occupied to allow for renting the apartment space
2. The owner must apply for a business license to rent the space
3. The space must meet minimum requirements (to be determined) for habitability
4. Neighbors are notified by the city of the application for the license to use the space and can provide feedback.
2. The use is not appurtenant to the property but to the owners license which is renewed each year.

This is the information I gathered from talking with the Council folks.

This is certainly an innovative law. I am unsure how the results will be. The intent is to keep some of Ogden's older citizens in their homes longer. By allowing apartment rental, the homeowner will have more income and less upkeep for the entire home. They will be able to stay a part of the community longer. I can see the benefit of this.

Some of the problems I see arising from this is confusion in the marketplace about what is legal and not legal use. Some Realtors out there won't read this post or be fresh on the ordinance and think that these homes are legal duplexes. It will create some problems for some Realtors for sure...I won't name names here. The other issues are still to be seen. I am betting that if these units are too concentrated in particular areas, that there will be some deterioration in the quality of the nieghorhood. Parking issues are will likely be the most obvious problem. There is also the risk of a "bad apple" neighbor wanting to rent out his basement to his "bad apple" friends. That could also hurt the neighborhood.

So, the jury is out and we will watch and see how this affects some of the more upscale parts of the city. Stay tuned...