Garage/Mother In Law Rentals in Danger?

[JanS]

Gina…good question…it may be something minimal, and be easy to comply with. I especially like the two tin cans and a piece of string. That would work for me :)

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[JoB]

i suspect it’s a bit more….

but probably not as impossible as it seems.

depending on the distance.. of course.

it sounds like mella… has already explored that option though.

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[mellaw6565]

To JT – no, I don’t have selective ethics. I bought the place and rented out the back like the previous owner told me he had done in the past and then only in the last few months have I discovered the issue about DADU’s being illegal. I haven’t told my tenants (the only ones I’ve had) because on my teacher’s salary I can’t afford the penalty and its possible that a tenant could see it as a “windfall” and decide to screw me over for no reason. I am a great landlord and I’m not having any problems with my tenants – I just really want to do the right thing in an affordable way. That’s so far from the definition of “situational ethics” – which BTW is the correct term.

Once again, if you have any personal experience with this problem, then I would love to hear about it. If not, it seems like the same 10 people or so are monopolizing ALL of the boards on this forum – no wonder no one else posts because the tone and tenor are so hostile and the responses off-topic. I have read back through the threads on many of these boards since I joined yesterday and it is REALLY NASTY on here. No wonder NewMember called for some civility. Geez – a person can’t even get their questions answered without getting attacked by people who don’t offer solutions, just criticism.

Oh – and to the poster that said “why don’t you buy something you can afford” – give me a break. No one can afford Seattle – especially on a teacher’s salary here. Even if I stay with the District 20 years – my top salary (and I have a Ph.D) would not reach the limits need to qualify for ANY mortgage here. So I did what many others are doing to survive here – I bought a place with rental capacity to supplement the mortgage payment so that I could have a place to retire someday. Trust me -it’s not the Taj Mahal and needs a lot of work, but it’s mine. As it is, I had to wait until my 40’s to even break into the market. For those with silver spoons in their mouths – the Mayor is looking for great people to line the pockets of developers and kick the poor people out. I’m sure he would be interested in your philosophy.

My apologies to JimmyG for comparing him to the a*s in the word assume. I can’t think of another analogy that would fit better at this point and apparently he needs negative affirmation to make him smile when he wakes up.(see his post on “reversing gears”) For me, someone who suffers from a serious disease, I smile each day because I wake up. Wish more people would do the same.

Enuff said – peace out. I will only respond to serious minded on-topic replies to this post in the future.

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[Anonymous]

That’s all it takes? Someone else did it so I can too. I have no responsibility as a home owner to determine what is legal on my property? The last person in my house was a drug dealer. I suppose I could carry on the tradition but I really don’t know where to start. I wonder if you skip reporting the income on your taxes as well, since that could trigger an inquiry.

You can correct my language skills all you want. You can tell me about your awards and degrees and how much you are adored by your students. You can ask for a pat on the back because you live each day with an illness, but you’d have to get in line. There’s at least 4 regular posters with serious illnesses, including myself. We all know it’s expensive in Seattle. Many of us struggle, many of us rent because of that. I don’t think anyone is forcing you to live in an expensive city however. And I don’t think any of your rationalizations are going to turn you into a stand up guy/gal.

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[WSMom]

mellaw6565-

You’re situation is rather unique so you may not find someone on this particular blog with the info you’re looking for. Would you be interested in getting a recommendation for a real estate attorney? I personally don’t know one, but I bet someone out there does. In my experience, often it saves money to go to an expert. Good luck.

PS: Read JoB’s post again, she is very wise.

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[MikeDady]

mellaw6565, if you are interested in beginning the long slog of trying to allow the legal use of DADU’s in the Delridge Neighborhood District, of which Highland Park where you live is a part of, you could start testing the waters at a Delridge Neighborhood District Council meeting. Contact Ron Angeles at the Department of Neighborhoods Office on Delridge Way to be placed on an upcoming meeting agenda.

FYI – The SE Neighborhood District Council had a very painful process on the road to approving DADU’s in their part of the city.

Personally, I think there is a very good argument that can be made in favor of allowing DADU’s throughout the entire city, but just that suggestion gets some people really wound up.

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[mellaw6565]

MikeDady – you restore my faith in this blog. That’s the advice I’m talking about. Thank you – I will contact Ron Angeles this week. Do you know – has this issue been brought up with the council before? What was the result and why the opposition?

I agree that people desperately need affordable housing in this area – we posted an ad last year when we first bought the place and had over 50 phone calls in the first hour, mostly from people around here that were getting kicked out of their apartments because of condo conversions. People all over this city are suffering right now at the lack of affordable housing and we are trying to be responsible and caring community members who have the ability to share a great space with someone else at a reasonable cost and also help ourselves weather the high cost of housing. By putting up my original post, I’m really trying to find others in my situation and find out if there is a real solution to making these legal – including mine. That’s all – no more. Thanks for your advice in the right direction – that’s what I call community!

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[MikeDady]

I recall it being mentioned very briefly by a meeting attendee a year or so back, but there was no serious discussion of it at the Delridge District Council level.

When it was being vetted in SE Seattle and at the City Council level I recall the main points of contention being concerns of parking, loss of sunlight for abutting backyards, loss of tree canopy, potential troubled tenants, etc. A big snafu was how the proposal for SE Seattle DADU’s came to be, and who was directing it. Some people in SE felt like once again, there neighborhood was being dumped on. Some of these concerns were/are legit, others were addressed by revisions that were put into the final DADU code.

Upon more thought, and in lieu of going straight to the District Council level, I would suggest you initially contact the staff at the Department of Planning and Development who were very involved in the crafting of the DADU code for SE Seattle. Ask these fellows what they think of a proposal for DADU’s in the Delridge District:

Mike Podowski, Land Use Planner

mike.podowski@seattle.gov, (206) 386-1988

Dennis Meier, Senior Urban Design Planner

dennis.meier@seattle.gov, (206) 684-8270

You will want to become an expert on the subject of DADU’s so spend time reading everything you can on the DPD website as well as watching past City Council and SE Seattle neighborhood meetings online via the Seattle Channel. You will need to be willing to organize support and be in it for the long haul. It won’t be easy, and who knows if you will succeed. But if you do, you will have benefited not only yourself but lots of other people who are struggling to afford their mortgage or their rents.

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[mellaw6565]

Thanks again Mike – I always do my homework first and I’m still hoping that there are others on this blog (other than the few “dictators” who answer every post whether they have something to add or not)that are having similar issues with their MIL or garage apartments and want to join this fight. I know they are out there and they are probably as nervous as I am to open up this issue for fear of the city coming down on them and kicking their good tenants out of affordable places. I think it is pretty ridiculous that Seattle’s Mayor and City Council can condone the tearing down of most of the public housing and apartments in this area yet not provide ONE viable solution for the people being kicked out. Many of us are there to help, but because we don’t have some type of “attached” building we can’t rent, yet someone with a dirty basement can. Doesn’t make sense to me and, in my opinion, is a perfect example of how this city government continues to favor the rich developers that line their pockets. I also find it ironic that if I lived 2 blocks farther south than I do I wouldn’t even be having this discussion because I would live outside the city line. How silly is that?

I want to be part of this change so that all of us can benefit from providing affordable and clean housing to all members of our community, not just to those who can afford to buy. My tenants are young, hard working,blue-collar individuals who pay their rent on time and do not impact the neighborhood. In fact, I don’t think most of my neighbors even know they are there. Why should they have to move way out from the city where they work to find affordable housing because my MIL is not “attached” to my main house?

I’ll keep in touch and let you know how my efforts are proceeding with DPD and after I talk to the SE District Council and Rasmussen’s office.

Thanks again for your great on-topic advice and willingness to help:)You are awesome!

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