I live in a residential area and have a four (could be 5) bedroom home.
My teenagers are gone and now it's just me and my 2 year old son. I would like to move out with my son and then have someone who has been in recovery for a long time be in charge of running a sober free living environment out of my home.

From what I understand I can rent a room for 125.00 to 150.00 per week.
I can create a contract stating that it is a sober free environment and do random drug testing. If drugs are found in their system they will be asked to leave.
Of course they would need to sign a contract and agree to it prior to moving in.

My question is... do I need to have a permit or anything like that to get something like this started?

Yvette

What state do you live in?

Here is an example from California:

Alcohol- and drug-free houses are subject to landlord/tenant laws in California, and may be subject to zoning and other requirements of the local jurisdiction. The ''Guide to Housing'' referenced below recommends that you check local laws carefully and, with the help of an attorney, determine how the laws might apply to your situation.

For example, if you want to start an alcohol- and drug-free living house you might need to know how to design a rental agreement to allow for prompt eviction for violation of house rules when eviction is necessary. You may want to become familiar with the more applicable laws that include the following:

• California Civil Code beginning with Section 53 and California Government Code beginning with Section 12980 (nondiscrimination in housing);
• California Civil Code beginning with Section 1940 (landlord/tenant laws);
• California Code of Civil Procedure beginning with Section 1159 (eviction procedures);
• Public Law 100-430 (Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act; forbids discrimination on basis of disability in sale, rental, zoning, land use restriction, and other rules).

Other sources of information about
Alcohol- and drug-free houses

Department of Alcohol and
Drug Programs
Resident Run Housing Programs
1700 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-4037

The ADP offers a loan program whereby a nonprofit organization may apply for a loan of up to $4,000 to cover start-up expenses for a home with six or more residents. The loan is repayable over a two-year period, and is interest free.

I would say the best way for you to go would be with a permit and all. Your best bet may be to contact a drug and alcohol rehab and ask what requirements and permits are necessary and maybe you could work with them as a placement for people they feel would work out best for you.
If you just go doing this without the proper backing and permits you could get in possible trouble or a big mess. An average landlord can't randomly drug test as far as I know and
if you advertise drug free only you could possibly end up with people trying to sue you for discrimination. I have even heard of people advertising for a roommate that ended up with lawsuits because they wanted a Christian roommate, or a male only, or a female only,. Then it may be hard to evict them if they are not causing any other problems than having some drugs/alcohol in their system.
Then zoning ordinances may say you can't have a half way house and they could claim that is what you are if you are advertising this way.
So yeah I would check all your avenues (especially legal ones) that you need to go here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yvette516

I live in a residential area and have a four (could be 5) bedroom home.
My teenagers are gone and now it;s just me and my 2 year old son. I would like to move out with my son and then have someone who has been in recovery for a long time be in charge of running a sober free living environment out of my home.

From what I understand I can rent a room for 125.00 to 150.00 per week.
I can create a contract stating that it is a sober free environment and do random drug testing. If drugs are found in their system they will be asked to leave.
Of course they would need to sign a contract and agree to it prior to moving in.

My question is... do i need to have a permit or anything like that to get something like this started?

Yvette

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I think you're confusing the terms -

Pet free means no pets. Smoke free means no smoking. Sober free means no sobriety.

Don't you mean alcohol free?

In NYS you need to work through a maze of health and housing laws.

Who do is going to do the actual drug testing? And will it be Hair? Urine? Blood? And keep in mind that unless you are a not-for-profit (or profit) organization at least in NYS if someone tests dirty you still have to go through eviction procedures.

I live in Florida...

First you will have to get it approved ( zoning) for multi family and/or boarding house. But next you will have to get a permit ( business license) to operate a treatment or some residential living center, since a requirement that no one drinks could be a violation of housing code in renting a boarding house.

You would have to for the zoning, notify all of the landowners within a certain distance around you, there would be a nieghbor zoning meeting and more.

Of couse that also changes your tax rate and greatly changes the poperty insurance requirements on the property

Are you looking to generate income by renting your house? Or do you have a strong, personal interest in this sepcific issue? Or both?

I'm just thinking that if you want rental income & heard somewhere that this would be more lucrative than a straight rental, I would reconsider. Like the previous posters have pointed out, you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to get something like this up and running. Then between the standard landlord challenges, plus the additional ones you'd be looking at I would think that any increase in rent would be by far offset by the headaches.

If it's something that is more of a pet project, then it may be worth the "hoop jumping" to you.

Hello Yevette:

It sounds like a great place - except for the prison like atmosphere you want to create. You think you're going to be able to search your tenants and give them drug tests?? Bwa, ha ha ha ha.

It AIN'T never going to happen.

excon