You’ll have the entire downstairs portion of a large home as your own private living space, with a separate entrance and approximately 980 square feet. The space includes two bedrooms, a changing/dressing room adjoining one bedroom, a full bathroom,... full kitchen, living room, laundry room, and an additional room that works nicely as a home office or other flexible space.

Outside, there is plenty of room as well. You’ll share the larger property with the homeowners, who live upstairs, but you’ll have space for two vehicles, a small patio area that works well for grilling or relaxing, a small garden area, and reasonable outdoor storage options such as space in a shed or garage.

This is a little different from renting an apartment in a large complex, and we think that can be a very good thing. This is our home, and because we share the larger property, the arrangement works best when there is a comfortable level of mutual trust, consideration, and respect. Some outdoor areas, storage spaces, and parts of the property are naturally shared or accessible, so we’re looking for someone who appreciates that kind of neighborly environment. We respect your privacy and your home downstairs, and simply ask for the same consideration in return.

The household upstairs is a husband and wife and their adult son. We’re quiet, friendly, and generally doing our own thing. The wife travels extensively and is often out of the country, and the husband also travels frequently for work. Our adult son is around most of the time and takes care of much of the regular property maintenance and handyman work. There are also three indoor cats upstairs and one outdoor dog. The dog is extremely shy and generally avoids people—you may go days without even seeing him.

There are security cameras around portions of the property. We’ll work openly with you regarding the cameras, including their locations, purpose, access, and anything that should be adjusted so that everyone is comfortable with both security and privacy.

Utilities are included in the monthly rent because the downstairs and upstairs are not separately metered. This includes gas, electricity, water/wastewater, and garbage. The lease includes a utility addendum that simply protects everyone in the event utility consumption becomes unusually excessive. It provides transparency into historical and current utility costs and is intended as a reasonable safeguard—not a way to nickel-and-dime anyone. Under normal household use, utilities are simply part of the monthly rent.

Most importantly, we’ve worked hard to make the downstairs clean, comfortable, maintained, and welcoming for whoever lives here. This isn't an investment property owned by a large company or property-management business. It’s our family home. Over the years our household became smaller and we simply ended up with more house than we need, so we decided to make the downstairs available for someone else to call home.

While the downstairs will absolutely be **your home and your private space**, we hope to find someone who also appreciates that they’re becoming part of a small, shared residential property where people know one another, communicate when necessary, respect each other’s space and belongings, and generally try to make things easy for everyone.

If that sounds like the kind of living situation you’re looking for, we’d be happy to meet you and show you around. Read More