How many people allowed in a house?

[glhs837]

So, say you were going to rent your house, as an acquaintance of mine is, and you wanted to know how many folks could legally inhabit that house? Where would you find that information? Is it by square footage, number of bathrooms, bedrooms?

The question arises because they have been approached by a family that's pretty large, and they don't want to be in unwitting violation.

 

[SLIM]

I know I'm probably wrong and I'm sure someone will point it out but I think it has alot to do with the size of your septic compacity...If you have a large enough tank for x amount of people or if you are on city sewer but I would call your local Planning and Zoning office first and go from there!

 

[lovinmaryland]

When we rented an apartment (which was like 7 or 8 years ago) it was 2 people per bedroom and they allowed an additional for the living room. So for a 2 bedroom apt/townhome/house it would have been 5 people maximum.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

When we rented an apartment (which was like 7 or 8 years ago) it was 2 people per bedroom and they allowed an additional for the living room. So for a 2 bedroom apt/townhome/house it would have been 5 people maximum.

In Maryland, there is something about male/female siblings sharing a room.

 

[lovinmaryland]

In Maryland, there is something about male/female siblings sharing a room.

really? This was in San Diego and we had the 3 boys at the time so I guess it wouldnt have applied to us even if they had that rule

 

[retiredweaxman]

I don't know if this helps or confuses the matter...

There is no federal legislation to standardize the enforcement of apartment occupancy laws. Though the Keating Memorandum of 1991 states that a policy of two people to a bedroom seemed sound to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), there is no language in the Fair Housing Act that directly addresses either the number or relationship of people legally allowed to occupy an apartment.

The article goes on to say...

While many states and municipalities have apartment occupancy laws on the books, just as many do not. The legalities in the neighboring towns may be very different and most primarily leave occupancy restrictions up to property owners and managers. Apartment A may regulate occupancy according to the guidelines set forth in Keating -- two persons per bedroom. Apartment B may modify those standards to not include small children in their occupancy count, and apartment C may adhere to the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) guidelines that state, "Every dwelling unit must contain a minimum gross floor area not less than 150 square feet for the first occupant and 100 square feet for each additional occupant. Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one occupant shall contain at least 70 square feet of floor area, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one person shall contain at least 50 square feet of floor area for each occupant." Tenants have little recourse in apartment occupancy disputes unless they can prove that enforcement will result in discriminatory practices.

Of course, this example is for an apartment. The point is it seems as though there are no set and concrete laws or regulations.

Apartment Occupancy Laws | eHow.com

 

[FED_UP]

really? This was in San Diego and we had the 3 boys at the time so I guess it wouldnt have applied to us even if they had that rule

Grew up with the bunk bed and a third bed in the room as well.

 

[Iv4girlz]

DEPENDS ON WHICH LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK

 

[libertytyranny]

In Maryland, there is something about male/female siblings sharing a room.

I thought that was only for section 8? I don't think they can tell you who you can put in a room if you own your own home..I hope not anyway.

 

[aps45819]

So, say you were going to rent your house, as an acquaintance of mine is, and you wanted to know how many folks could legally inhabit that house? Where would you find that information? .

I'd look in my lease.

If I was renting my home I'd put what I thought were fair occupancy limits in the lease. If the tenets then moved in their 15 cousins, I'd get the eviction notice delivered by the sheriff

 

[Merlin99]

DEPENDS ON WHICH LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK

http://www.casademaryland.org/storage/documents/occupancy standards en.pdf

 

[twinoaks207]

Depends on your location. Laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Here in North Beach, our Zoning ordinances define a "family" as "

An individual, or two (2) or more persons related by blood or marriage,
or group of not more than (4) persons not related by blood or marriage,​

living together as a single housekeeping group in a dwelling unit." They do not really limit the number of family members. We also have provisions for the annual inspection of rental housing.

The best bet is to contact the local Code Enforcement office of whatever jurisdiction that your friend lives in to see what specific requirements may be on the books in that jurisdiction. Or, if this is not an option (for whatever reason), you can contact Maryland's ASK US NOW and hope that you have done it on an afternoon where the Maryland Law Librarians are on duty from 2-4 PM (Tuesdays & Thursdays). They should be able to track down any applicable regulations since everything is now on-line (pretty much).

Good luck!

 

[Merlin99]

This looks like something they'll want to read.
Occupancy

 

[preselector]

Regardless of occupancy laws if any, for a three bedroom I'd recommend 5 people max.

For more than 5, increase the damage deposit exponentially. My experience is that the damage will also increase exponentially.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

MD state housing code is 250 sq. ft. per person for the entire unit.

A bedroom has to be 100 sq. ft. for the first person and another 50 sq. ft. for each additional person sleeping in the room.