Is this residence legal/can we sublet?

[cleolyn]

Hi, I am a non U.S. citizen and I'm currently renting a house in Pacifica, CA. The owners have taken the downstairs bedroom and drywalled it off to create a separate suite to rent out to another tenant, there is a separate entrance, but we share heat, power and water. Our concern is, is this a legal setup in terms of fire codes as well as residential building codes? We tried contacting the city, but received no response. As well, our landlord gave us an option to sublet the extra suite ourselves. As non citizens, is this legal for us to do, or will this put our Visa at risk?

Thanks in advance for the information !

Also, where else can I find information on this? I would like to have all my bases covered.

Much appreciated !

 

[army judge]

I suggest you visit city hall and ask which department oversees legal rental units. If you don't receive an answer, I'd would NOT rent the unit. The unit sounds like an illegally constructed unit. If I were in your shoes, I'd simply not rent it. People who create the THING you saw are USUALLY breaking the law. I can't say for sure, but what you've said is enough for me to say, walk away, find a unit more to your liking.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

Much of the time the situation is exactly what army judge describes - a temporary fix that would be fine for a home owner but not as a legal rental unit. In Manhattan / New York City, this is a very common situation although it is also frequently created by roomates who wish to subdivide an area with a little more privacy.