Venice Apartments
A Venice property owner needed a Certificate of Occupancy to legally rent out units that were built as 8, but only permitted for 4.
The Situation
The client purchased a property intending to rent out its units, only to discover the existing Certificate of Occupancy covered just 4 units — even though 8 had physically been built. A prior permit to subdivide the units had been started but never finalized, leaving the property without a valid CofO. To make matters more complex, current zoning for the site didn't allow for 8 units.
What We Did
We researched the building's history and identified that its age qualified it for a special allowance: each of the 4 permitted units could be subdivided into one main unit plus one housekeeping unit. This path brought the total to 8 units — matching what was already built — while working within the zoning constraints.
The Outcome
The city approved the subdivision under this allowance, and the client obtained a Certificate of Occupancy for all 8 existing units, unlocking full rental income from the property.
