The town of Fairfield presents a great opportunity for real estate investors with both multi family and single family housing. With two universities (Sacred Heart University and Fairfield U) there are many opportunities to tap into the student housing market. But before jumping in on what looks like a great 6 bedroom deal perfect for student housing, or a single family with in-law suite ripe for a 2 family conversion, its critical to know the regulations to make sure your dream investment doesn’t turn into a zoning nightmare.
Designated Residential Zones
All towns are divided into residential zones where special zoning regulations apply within the zone. You may have heard the terms “R1”, or “R2” zoned. These are the names of just two of Fairfield nine designated zones, each with specific housing regulations. The town’s zoning regulations can be found here. Take a look at Fairfield’s zoning map to see all 16 zoning districts.
Occupancy Limit
Perhaps the most important to investors relates to the number of unrelated persons that can occupy a specific dwelling unit. For a single family house, no more than five unrelated people can live in the house (dwelling unit). This drops to four if the house is in the beach area. This is an attempt to reduce the size of beach area student housing to a manageable number, given it’s high concentration of Fairfield U. student housing. A five bedroom house in the university area would be ok to rent to five students, as long as it satisfies other related zoning regulations.
Multi-Family
What about multi-family housing? The occupancy limit still applies to a 2 or 3 or 4 family house, but each apartment is considered a dwelling unit. So the five unrelated rule would apply to the individual apartment/dwelling unit, not the entire house. Fairfield does limit multi-family housing to two specific zones, however. Multi-family housing is allowed only in zone B and zone C. No good in zone R3 for example.
Accessory Unit
Some houses in Fairfield are marketed as having an “in-law suite” or “accessory apartment”, complete with private entrance and separate kitchen, bedrooms and bath. This sounds like a bonus to an investor. Not so fast, however. The zoning regulations have limits on accessory apartments. The house must be owner occupied in order for the accessory apartment to be rented. So an absentee landlord looking to rent a 4 bedroom house with an additional 2 bedroom accessory unit would be limited to renting just the 5 bedrooms, and converting the house back to single-family. However a 3 bedroom house with a 2 bedroom accessory apartment could be a great setup, if the numbers worked.
Final Thoughts
With all the great investing opportunities, getting familiar with Fairfield’s (or any other town’s) zoning regulations prior to taking the plunge can save you valuable time, money and legal headaches.