LOS ANGELES — In these last few years, longtime real estate agent Juan Alderete has seen the ADU boom in the San Fernando Valley first-hand.
“One of the biggest attractions that’s happening right now for properties that are for sale is large lot properties and properties with detached garages,” Alderete said.
He says those detached garages are especially popular because they’re easier for homeowners to convert into granny flats, or accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs.
Just a couple of years ago, one in every four homes built in Los Angeles was an ADU. The units are largely considered a win-win approach in addressing LA’s housing crisis. They offer housing to those who need it, and the homeowners who build them can make extra cash to go toward their mortgage.
But during the pandemic, some homeowners skipped a crucial step in getting these units permitted by not applying for a certificate of occupancy. Real estate agent Juan Alderete says it might have been harder for property owners to get permits during the pandemic because parts of the city’s planning department were closed. He also said the process is often costly and time consuming, deterring some homeowners.
To get permitted now, property owners would have to return the residential units back to their original state, apply for a certificate of occupancy for the garage itself, then rebuild their ADU.
It’s one reason City Council member Monica Rodriguez introduced a motion to the council last December to eliminate this step.
“In other words, a garage illegally converted into a residential unit must be first be fully permitted as, and returned to, a garage before the applicant can then apply to legalize and convert their unit into an ADU,” the motion states.
In April, the LA City Council unanimously approved the motion, which will remove this time-consuming and expensive barrier, as long as homeowners agree to dedicate the units to affordable housing.
Council member Rodriguez says this expedited approach will not compromise the safety of the units. It will simply remove some red tape in the process and help bring more units of housing into supply in Los Angeles, where housing is in short supply.
“By creating a process that provides some amnesty for individuals to get their properties into compliance, we’re actually creating a safer housing supply than what we currently have in the city of Los Angeles,” Council member Monica Rodriguez said.
The program is only temporary.