# How can I find a house with an in-law suite? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519 "2012-08-24T19:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boozilu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boozilu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boozilu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/1 "2012-08-24T19:23:08Z")
My dad has Alzheimer’s and although he and my mom live alone right now, it looks like the best future solution would be to get a house with an in-law suite. My family could have the main house and my mom & dad could live with us, but still apart. My mom wants her own kitchen but otherwise we are pretty flexible. I’ve tried searching through the Google but I guess I’m not using the right search terms. I haven’t contacted a realtor yet, as I’m not sure of the timing, but thought if I started looking now I could get an idea of what is available and pricing. Any ideas? I would think that a lot of families would be interested in a home like that, but maybe not. Our other option would be to build a custom home, but they all seem to be McMansions and we really don’t need a humungous place. Help! ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/2 "2012-08-24T19:24:05Z")
Guest house? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/3 "2012-08-24T19:30:31Z")
Look for basement apartments. They are very popular sources of income. Buy a house and have rental income too. They are also great free apartments for relatives. Or, buy a house with a basement that can be renovated into an apartment. There’s a HGTV show called _Income Property_ that does this every week. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/4 "2012-08-24T19:32:39Z")
in-law suite, mother-in-law suite, MIL suite Here’s a Search on in-law suite [In Law Suite for Rent - Search](http://www.bing.com/search?q=In+Law+Suite+for+Rent&FORM=QSRE6) ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/5 "2012-08-24T20:10:12Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > in-law suite, mother-in-law suite, MIL suite > > Here’s a Search on in-law suite [In Law Suite for Rent - Search](http://www.bing.com/search?q=In+Law+Suite+for+Rent&FORM=QSRE6) I was just going to say that this is what they are called and advertised as in Seattle Portland and then I saw China Guy’s location— So I don’t know how widespread the terms are. Additionally they seem to be common around the PNW due to the conversion of basement (or underhouse) garages into living space. ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/6 "2012-08-24T22:30:26Z")
In AZ, they tend to be called “casita”, guest house or “MIL quarters” is probably a better search. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/7 "2012-08-24T22:43:55Z")
Around here, they’re often called “granny units”. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/8 "2012-08-24T22:46:30Z")
Look for a second kitchen. Better yet, let an agent do the work for you. If someone called me about this kind of dwelling, I could suggest a handful even before doing a computer search. I just showed one like that today, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/9 "2012-08-24T23:13:30Z")
Two-on-a-lot is what we call them here, or “back house” ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/10 "2012-08-24T23:18:51Z")
I’ve heard them called mother-daughter houses. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/11 "2012-08-24T23:39:20Z")
Or, search for a place with a large back yard and add a unit. Here are some interesting links: [http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/in-the-backyard-grandmas-new-apartment/](http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/in-the-backyard-grandmas-new-apartment/) [http://www.medcottage.com/index.php](http://www.medcottage.com/index.php) > **[PalsBuilt.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=palsbuilt.com)** > > Since 2005, we have helped thousands of people get the perfect domain name. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-a-house-with-an-in-law-suite/632519/12 "2012-08-24T23:53:56Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Or, search for a place with a large back yard and add a unit. Not available in all zoning areas. Check with the local authorities before purchase. For that matter, check with zoning before purchasing an existing house with a 2nd unit. It might not have been constructed legally and the buyer might have to foot the bill to remove it.