SAN DIEGO (FOX5\/KUSI) \u2014 San Diego County homeowners with an ADU on their property will soon be able to sell it separately from the main property.<\/p>\n
The County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that aligns the county with Assembly Bill 1033, which promotes homeownership by allowing California homeowners to sell their ADUs like they would a condo. Homeowners could start doing that as early as next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know some of my colleagues are excited about it, but I\u2019m apprehensive and not interested in it because there is complexity when it comes to the lender, right? I have a loan on this property and my lender would need to have a partial release of collateral in order for me to sell something, right?\u201d said Matt Davies, a real estate broker and investor.<\/p>\n
Davies owns several ADUs, some in the North Park neighborhood. He thinks the new ordinance is more idealistic than realistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re going to adopt an ordinance, I want it to be as flexible as possible to give homeowners or homebuilders room to make their projects work. So, although it\u2019s not a perfect solution\u2014being allowed to sell ADUs to gather more housing is a step in the right direction,\u201d said Supervisor Jim Desmond who represents District 5.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy main concern is that investors will buy ADUs and they will continue to rent them out,\u201d said District 4 Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe.<\/p>\n
The board unanimously voted to approve the ordinance without added regulations, which falls in line with AB 1033. It allows the sale of ADUs in hopes of promoting homeownership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t see people getting to the finish line in a meaningful way. I think it\u2019s idealistic, but there is a lot more that goes into that from every perspective,\u201d said Davies.<\/p>\n
He thinks it\u2019ll be expensive to create homeowners associations to split bills and could open the door to legal claims from builders and others. However, the discussion isn\u2019t over. The board could add to the ordinance.<\/p>\n
In June, the board will hear options to promote first-time homeownership, which includes giving renters priority when the ADU goes up for sale and owner occupancy required for the first-year or longer.<\/p>\n
The ordinance is expected to take effect at the beginning of April.<\/p>\n
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