Politics & Government

'Room for Rent' — But is That Legal in Piedmont?

The Piedmont Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on potential changes to the city's Second Unit Code Monday afternoon. The staff report for this meeting — one of a series on second units — focuses on renting rooms, not separate apartments.

If you rent a room to a college student or a family member who's not a dependent, are you breaking the law?

It's possible, says a city planning staff report, even if you pay the City of Piedmont's annual rental tax.

The staff report for Monday afternoon's Planning Commission meeting and public hearing on second units focuses on renting individual rooms to tenants, a relatively infrequent but longstanding practice in the city.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"For many years, and despite occasional neighborhood opposition, Piedmont homeowners have been permitted to rent bedrooms in their residence to roommates and non-dependent family members to help offset their housing costs," says the report.

"Typically, the roommates share cooking facilities, and possibly other rooms such as living and dining rooms. Some have their own bathrooms, and some share bathing facilities.

Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"They are not required to get formal permission to rent the rooms, but are required to pay a rental tax on their rental income."

But it appears, says City Planner Kate Black in the report, that room rentals may violate city codes. They may actually place the home in the category of a "rooming or boarding house," a use that isn't permitted anywhere in the city.

In addition, Black says, some "rented rooms" are actually second units with their own kitchen facilities. A small number of others may be unsafe for habitation or sleeping purposes because of too many appliances (mini-fridges, hot plates, microwaves and the like) plugged into inadequate electrical circuits, a lack of smoke detectors or heaters that vent directly into the rooms.

Black is asking planning commissioners to consider two questions:

1. Should Piedmonters be allowed to rent one or two bedrooms when they rent rooms in their house?

2. For rented rooms, should there be a one-time or annual inspection for those rented rooms?

The meeting agenda and the complete staff report on room rentals are included as PDFs above.

Monday's public hearing is one of a series on potential changes to city codes that would enable Piedmont  to provide affordable housing at various income levels, as required by state law. Read more about the issue here.

The agenda also includes several design reviews.

The commission will meet Monday, Jan. 9, at 5 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers, 120 Vista Ave. (Note: an agenda posted on the city website originally listed the meeting time as 5:30 p.m. That was a typo, according to city staff; the correct time is 5 p.m.)


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