ARE YOU OFFERING A LEGAL ROOM FOR RENT?

Rather than get another job or take out a loan, another way to make some extra money is to rent out a room in your North Carolina home. Before you start looking for desirable tenants, make sure the room you plan to offer is a legal one.

To help, see what Forbes has to say about the matter. Start your landlord-tenant relationship on the right foot.

Recent occupancy laws

Brush up on the state’s latest occupancy laws. For instance, there could be a limit on how many tenants you can take in who are not blood relatives. Even though you are renting out a single room, you still have to follow all the standard landlord laws. Otherwise, you risk incurring an unnecessary fine, even jail time.

Individual rental unit 

Is it a carriage house or mother-in-law suite that you want to rent out? If the unit has its own entrance and plumbing, then you more than likely have an individual unit. If so, be sure you have the right permit to rent out a separate dwelling.

Security

Touching back on occupancy laws, check to see if North Carolina requires rental rooms to have levers on the inside of doors rather than needing a key to lock the door from the inside. Locks that require keys for both sides may not legally suffice.

Fire safety 

Double-check to ensure that the windows in the room you want to rent out are large enough to serve as a fire escape. If the room does not have windows, or if the room only has windows over the door, then you are better off not renting it out at all.

This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.