There’s no doubt that tiny homes have become very popular it’s in the real estate industry over the Last 5 Years and more property owners than ever before are considering adding tiny homes like granny flats, or accessory dwelling units to their properties.

The big question is if you are a current Portland area landlord and you have a rental property, should you consider adding a tiny home to that existing rental property?

This article will answer that question and provide you with insight into tiny homes so that you know exactly how to move forward if you plan on adding a tiny home to your rental property.

What Exactly Is A Tiny Home?

Before we start talking about the issue of adding a tiny home to your existing Portland Oregon rental property, we should discuss the true definition of a tiny home.

As of 2020, a tiny home is defined as an actual house that could be 400 square feet or smaller. Tiny homes feature a hyper-efficient design; this means that they can literally fit in any space including in back yards across Portland Oregon or elsewhere in the United States.

Most tiny homes can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 depending upon if you hire contractors to build one for you from the ground up. It’s often easier to buy a pre-fabricated tiny home because all you have to do is have it delivered to your property then connected to water, sewer and electricity.

Tiny Homes In Portland Oregon

The good news about tiny homes in Portland is that the city council has passed more laws in recent years which make it easier for homeowners and investors to add tiny homes to their properties.

Since housing is viewed as a basic human right in Portland Oregon, the city council has been more open towards deprioritizing the enforcement of people who sleep in RVs, motor homes, cars and other portable structures including tiny homes across Portland Oregon.

If you plan on adding a tiny home to your property, there are a variety of stipulations which you must follow including the following

Sanitation

The property owner shall make available sanitary facilities.

Options include using sanitary facilities within the structure, pumping holding tanks off-site or having vendor pump out holding tank, or permitting and installing a legal sanitary dump station on site.

Portable toilets (with ongoing service and maintenance) are only allowed at non-residential properties.

Electrical

The property owner shall make available electrical connections.

Options include extension cords from an approved outlet in the home or permitting and installing a pedestal for the plugin.

Some of the other regulations that you must consider when adding a tiny home to your property include:

• No hard connections are allowed.
• The use of generators is not allowed.
• The property owner shall subscribe to and pay for garbage, recycling, and composting service.
• Latest Code Amendments For HB 2737 In 2018
• A sleeping loft is permitted in any size dwelling unit.
• A limit of one sleeping loft per dwelling unit
• Dwellings that contain a sleeping loft may not be used for any other purpose other than as a detached one-family dwelling

Ladders and alternating tread devices may be used as a primary means of access and egress from sleeping lofts in dwelling units 600 square feet or less.

Standard stairs are required to serve the sleeping loft where the dwelling unit is greater than 600 square feet

Specific fire protection requirements for dwelling units with a sleeping loft and where fire separation distance is reduced

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Should You Add A Tiny Home To Your Existing PDX Rental Property?

Now that we have provided you with information regarding adding a tiny home to your rental property, we have to get back to the big question of should you add a tiny home to your existing rental property?

The answer to this question depends upon the relationship that you have with your current tenants.

Most tenants may be open to you adding a tiny home to the property if they are notified in advance regarding how issues like parking are going to be worked out and if the tiny home will be completely separate from the home that they are currently living in.

It’s also quite possible that your tenant may be interested in renting the tiny home from you as well since many tenants are often interested and having an additional granny flat or guest cottage available that they can offer to guests who may be interested in staying with them.

Contact Rent Portland Homes Professionals

To learn more about tiny homes in Portland Oregon, or it’s speaking with us about our Property Management Services contact us today by calling (503) 447-7735 or click here to connect this online.