Convert SFH to duplex w tenants
Category: Single Family Homes
1 replies
Original post
Hi all. I'm Daniel, this is only my second post here. I own many properties but this post is about an SFH I've had in Denver since late 2015. I currently have great tenants who've opted for a month-to-month lease after their initial year, despite several rent increases since then. I'm looking to convert the property into a duplex by adding a bedroom and bathroom and dividing the house. My plan is to rent the new unit either to another long-term tenant or for mid-term stays. My main concern is the legality of splitting the home and doing this kind of rehab work. I want to minimize any inconvenience for them, but I know some disruption is unavoidable. What's their legal rights in this situation? Since they've been on a month-to-month lease for a while, i wonder if I can just have a conversation with them at the end of the month and adjust the lease/rent accordingly. Thanks for your thoughts. - DOReply by Isabella
Even if zoning permits this, you're going to have a lot more trouble than you think on the tenant side. Your tenants are renting out the entire house now, including whatever yard or outdoor space there is. This is a major conversation with your tenants. They won’t be happy about splitting the house even if you are adding bedrooms and bathrooms and keeping the units fully separate. Since they’re M2M in all likelihood they’ll just move out - but maybe that’s for the best. You’ll get time to renovate then move in 2 new tenants who are aware of the situation in advance