hud occupancy guidelines - Landlord Forum thread 325853

hud occupancy guidelines by jane (minnesota) on October 18, 2014 @11:40

I have an historic home in small town Minnesota its a 3 bed home but we converted attic space into another bedroom.. this is where I want to retire I am working in AZ at the moment, I leased it to a friend of friend a single parent with 5 kids since shes been in for 6 months she has had various problems each month as its an older home like blocked drains, then sprayer fell off faucet, even though its in the lease for her to repair she could not afford it so I paid for the repairs, now she has asked me can I sign a form so she can foster kids I've just read the form and it allows her up to 3 foster kids, now am really worried how much damage or wear an tear 8 kids can do in this unique home, I don't want to discriminate against these poor foster children but this is my only investment but surely there occupancy limits how many kids u can have what would you do ???

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Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Bill on October 18, 2014 @14:42	[ Reply ]

Your friend and her 5 children alone are enough to max out the occupancy limits.

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Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Anonymous on October 18, 2014 @18:47	[ Reply ]

"home like blocked drains, then sprayer fell off faucet, even though its in the lease for her to repair she could not afford it" Tenants should not be responsible for making repairs themselves. This will cause them to either not notify you of needed repairs or they will make shoddy duct-tape repair jobs. Tenants should be held responsible for problems that they cause directly or by negligence. Tenants should not be held responsible for things like 'the sprayer fell off the faucet'. Was the sprayer abused or did it just break? A stopped drain if it's happening repeatedly may not be the tenant's fault. You should analyze every repair yourself since, after all, it's your property.

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Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Garry (Iowa) on October 18, 2014 @20:20	[ Reply ]

As you are finding out, you tenant is slowly becoming a problem for you. Most all landlords and government agencies adhere to the 2 persons per bedroom guideline. She was at her limit when she moved in. DO NOT sign Any forms allowing for more people in your place. Also, about 40 days before her lease is up, you need to send her a notice of non-renewal and get her out before the damages amount to several thousands of $. You did her a favor by allowing her to rent from you. Now she's abusing that favor by damaging the property, and asking you to allow even MORE children. Time to find a better tenant.

Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Anonymous on October 18, 2014 @21:01	[ Reply ]

HUD says 2 per bedroom plus one. 3 X 2= 6 plus one = 7. 8 is too many. What is her FICO score? Your first mistake is to rent to a friend. The second mistake is to rent to a friend that cannot afford the house. Third mistake is to rent a historic house that can easily be damaged by a bunch of kids. If she is on a month to month lease issue a 30 day notice of non-renewal. Get rid of the whole bunch. If not on MTH find something else, late rent, no rent, etc. to get rid of them before your house is destroyed. How much security deposit did you collect?

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Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Anonymous on October 19, 2014 @01:15	[ Reply ]

I would get her out, and screen better for the next tenant. Why would you rent an historic home to a single parent of five kids? A friend of a friend is not a desirable tenant. It sounds like your friend is better friends with the single Mom of five kids, than she is to you. You need to protect your property, and screen better to get tenants that will value your property. And no, you don't sign a form to help her adopt three more kids when she doesn't have any control over her own five kids tearing the place up. Eight kids and one parent in a three bedroom house doesn't add up.

Re: hud occupancy guidelines by MrDan (Georgia) on October 19, 2014 @14:50	[ Reply ]

You need to tread carefully here. You do not want to present yourself as discriminating toward families. Your plan of action should be; Check your 'Zoning Code' for any restriction on number of occupants allowed. Many Zoning Codes have requirements on the number of foster or non related occupants allowed to occupy a home. Check your 'Housing Code' for any restrictions as related to occupancy standards such as the requirement for square footage needed for each occupant. Many Codes require a minimum square footage per room and also a minimum for each person that sleeps in that room. If you find your area has no 'Housing Code' remember the HUD Guidelines are just that, they are guidelines. HUD explains that other factors can be taken into account, such as the homes' ability to sustain a large group of people through existing water services.(sewer capacity) Overall, you may be restricted by such Housing/Zoning codes from renting to large families/foster groups. HUD will always refer to the local Housing/Zoning Codes as the Standad for Occupancy Limits. Always use your local Codes first as the foundation for your policy for the number of people allowed to live in your rental units. Then apply the Federal and State laws to the circumstances. Also, if you are limiting the number of occupants and make a statement to this effect in your advertising, be sure to properly reference the code that you are using to limit this occupancy.

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Re: hud occupancy guidelines by Anonymous on October 20, 2014 @12:34	[ Reply ]

You need to cut Octomom loose now before she brings more brood in to cause havoc to your historic home. Why is someone who can't afford a $96 RotoRooter bill taking on more kids -- for the income? She needs to work for income; kids need to be in a loving home that can meet their physical requirements, like food and shelter -- not being a mealticket for their parents/guardians.