[quote=briansd1]
BTW, in Philly, many big old houses have been converted to apartments. Why not in San Diego? In San Diego, you can’t have a house with a rental apartment within.
[/quote]
This is not true. There are homes that have been converted to apartments – or converted sections to legal granny flats.
In my college years my friends and I often rented apartments in older homes. These had separate addresses – so theoretically they were legal. This was in North Park, Bird Rock, Kensington, Hillcrest. Here’s an example or a listing that took a single family home and converted. http://www.redfin.com/CA/La-Jolla/1233-Roslyn-Ln-92037/home/4905974
When we were weighing whether to go forward with the granny flat project we looked at several existing 2 unit places that were conversions from a SFR to a multi-unit. Unfortunately, none of them worked from a wheel chair accessible POV. But they are out there.
To say that San Diego does not allow conversion of a space to a rental unit is just a lie. It may not be easy – they may make you jump through hoops – but there are places out there. And I have lived the process of getting a permit to build a granny flat – so I know from first hand experience you CAN add a rentable space to your SFR lot. (If you meet certain criteria and have patience to deal with the planning dept.)
