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Comment by AnimalMuppet | Hacker News Reader

I see a few issues. First, the local zoning commission may not allow such units.

Second, my dog uses the backyard on my dog's schedule, not the renter's. And the renter may dislike walking through a minefield to come and go.

Third, where's the renter going to park?

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The article mentions recent state laws that overrode city prohibitions on multiple units: SB 1069 (2016) required cities to approve ADUs in backyards of all single-family houses and inside houses, and AB 494/SB 229 (2017) reduced parking requirements to 1 parking spot per ADU and made them more financially feasible (by limiting utility fees and allowing ADU rental). These are a big deal, especially on suburban 5,000+ sq. ft. lots where there is enough space for egress and parking.

As for your dog, no homeowner is required to construct an ADU, so an owner who wants to keep a big yard is allowed to do so. Other homeowners can make a different decision depending on their situation.

SB 1069: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm...

AB 494: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm...

SB 229: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtm...

Using the entire yard just as a place for your dog to shit is poor utilization of space. And this type of poor utilization is a big reason there is a housing problem.

The solution to the tenant not needing to dodge dog turds is for you to clean up after your -_&#ing dog.

Hi there - my name is Spencer and I'm one of the co-founders of Rent the Backyard.

You're totally right about possible zoning restrictions in most places. The climate in California has really changed in the last two years to allow what the state calls "accessory dwelling units" or ADU (https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Are-accessory-dw...). These laws cover everything from parking, to setbacks, to privacy requirements. We'll go beyond what is required by those laws when it's the right thing to do.

These new laws have led to an explosion of building. 4300 of these units were permitted in California last year with 187 in the City of San Jose -- our main focus to start.

We love dogs too but this is definitely an issue. Ultimately, this is a product you'll have to decide works or doesn't work for you :)

Well, I think that the issue will be whether the dog works for the tenant.

Hypothetical situation: I don't have a dog. I build one of these. A tenant signs a lease. Then I get a dog. But the tenant is terrified of dogs. But they've signed a lease, and (because nobody thought it would be an issue) there's nothing in the lease about whether the owner can have a dog. Now the tenant is really stuck - essentially they are at the owner's mercy.

I don't know if your standard agreement covers this situation, but if not, it's something to think about...

In my country (not US) it is by law allowed for either side of the lease to terminate it under extraordinary circumstances.

This situation would certainly fall under that. Obviously, if the other party objects to the termination, you'd need to get some sort of medical verification for your condition.

This is definitely something to think about as we get closer to renting these units. Our expectation is for tenant and homeowner to be fair and reasonable and we're developing a framework for what that looks like.

My neighbor in the Bay Area built a tiny house in their backyard that they rent out.

1) It was allowed 2) no dogs 3) they park on the street

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