According to a real estate buddy of mine, as well as several friends at work who own homes, basement apartments for rental in private homes are illegal. Is there a concrete way to find out if the basement apartment that I’ve been renting in a private house for the past 3.5 years is legal? Where can I find this out? And, if the determination is made that the apartment is illegal, what course of action would I be able to I take?
I’ve never questioned it before because I found the apartment through a real estate agent and I’ve never had problems with the landlady, but I’ve recently caught her in several lies, called her bluff, and now I have NO confidence that she’s been telling me the truth. Should I seek counsel from a lawyer? My friend says that if the apt is illegal, then I can take her to court and get my paid rent back, as this has happened to him. I don’t know if this is the course of action I want to take, but I certainly want to learn what I can do to protect myself.
Thank you in advance for your time and attention.
Best regards,
KaiZen