Reply to What makes a basement rental legal?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In Virginia if you put in a stove/oven it is an illegal apartment.  If you don't it's okay.  Some people just have a microwave, toaster oven and a burner appliance that sits on the counter, along with a sink, etc.

However, a basement apartment without a full kitchen, including a full size stove/oven, is not too cool and you can't get as much for it in rent.  A lot of people do it anyway because you only get in trouble if somebody reports you to the county, and why would they?[/quote]

Lots of reasons why they might.  Maybe the illegal tenant is bothering them in some way--if the tenant parks in front of their house, or makes loud noises coming in at night or out early in the morning, etc.  Maybe they just don't like illegal behavior in general.   Maybe they just don't like the homeowner and want to get them in trouble.[/quote]

If it's a congested area like DC, I can see this being a bigger issue than out in the burbs. Most people don't make their basement apartment "legal" because it is basically illegal in most jurisdictions. And if the building inspector or county finds out about your illegal living situation, just don't let him in. Unless this is some type of crazy situation,  I highly doubt the building inspector is going to swear out a warrant and then show up with the swat team.[/quote]

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