How to Convert a Home Into a Boarding House

A large home can be a great investment and high maintenance. Converting your home to a boarding house can help with both your investment and the up keep. Traditionally, a boarding house houses people for days, weeks and even months. One meal or more is provided in with the rent, and the tenants generally help with household tasks and maintenance.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Check your local laws and requirements before starting any large projects. You will likely need some sort of permit for any major remodel, and possibly even to open the doors. Multiple tenant laws apply to boarding houses in some cities or states. Find this information at your city hall. You will also need zoning for multi-family and have a sales permit.
2. Clean all rooms for boarders. Remove any items that are personal in nature and make sure the rooms look neat and uncluttered. If possible add insulation to the bedroom walls for added privacy. This can be done later on, if you get a tenant that does carpentry work, trade rent and meals for work.
3. Make sure you have enough bathrooms for your boarders and that your plumbing is equipped to handle the extra load. A certified plumber can help you determine the age and ability of you plumbing. Some boarding houses have private bathrooms for each bedroom. If you are unable to provide private bathrooms, you must make sure that people have adequate access to showers and toilets. Consider adding a second water heater.
4. Ensure that you can feed all the people at the same time comfortably. Your kitchen needs to handle multiple large meals everyday. You also need enough dishes and pans for meal time. A deep freeze and second refrigerator may help if you feed more than five people, including your family.