Last Updated on May 8, 2022 by
As ADUs grow in popularity, there is still some confusion as to what they are used for and what constitutes an ADU. If you are looking to build a unit on your property to act as a place for guests to stay but also want to reap the benefits of an ADU, you may be wondering if you should have an ADU and guest home.
Difference Between ADUs & Guest Homes
So, do you need both an ADU and a guest home? Well, the answer is no. Guest home is just another word for an ADU. So, you are essentially asking if you need two ADUs on your property, which you probably don’t.
ADUs go by many names based on the regions they are built-in. Different regions have different nicknames for ADUs, one of them being “guest homes.” Other names for ADUs include:
- Accessory apartment
- Backhouse
- Backyard bungalow
- Carriage house
- Coach house
- Cottage
- Garage house
- Granny flat
- In-law suite
What’s An ADU?
An additional dwelling unit (ADU) is a small building built on the same property as a single-family building. It can be used for a variety of reasons but is usually used as a place to house aging parents/kids, as a guest home for people who visit, or as a way to make extra income by renting it out. Many people rent ADUs out to help pay off the cost of them and then gain extra income throughout the year. If you decide to do this, just be wary of the changing ADU rent control factors in your area.
An ADU can either be internal, attached, detached, or a conversion unit. Any of these types of ADUs can act as a guest home for people to stay in when they visit. When you are not expecting visitors, you can also use it as a rental unit or a place to hang out by yourself for some alone time.
Guest Homes Are Great
So, since a guest home is an ADU, you do not need both. You can reap all the benefits of having an ADU and guest home in one compact unit.
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