With great regularity, potential buyers (either investors or parents of JMU students) will ask if a single family home can be purchased and rented to a group of JMU students -- often an intended group of four or more students.

I let them know that it will be no problem at all -- the adjoining property owners in the quaint neighborhood probably won't mind as long as the students aren't too bothersome -- and the City doesn't mind at all if their zoning ordinances are violated, so long as it's just "nice college kids"....

WAIT!  NOT REALLY!  READ ON!!!!

It seems that some buyers are really getting that feedback of "sure, it will be fine" -- though I'm not sure if they're getting it from their Realtor, or from someone else advising them in the transaction, or if they just aren't thinking about whether their planned use of a property is allowable.

The REAL answer, and the feedback that I ACTUALLY provide to my clients is....

1.  We need to check to see how this property is zoned, and whether that zoning classification allows for that number of unrelated people to live in the property.

2.  We need to check to see if there are recorded restrictive covenants for this neighborhood that restrict the number of unrelated people who live in the property.

A few notes....

1.  Most single family homes in the City of Harrisonburg are zoned R-1 or R-2 and do NOT allow for three or more unrelated people (students or otherwise) to live in the property.

2.  If a property has been used in a non-conforming manner (for example, four students living in it) since before the zoning ordinance was put in place, without a 24 month gap in the non-confirming us, it MIGHT be possible to continue to use the property in that non-conforming manner.

And, if #2 above is starting to get confusing, then we arrive at my main reason for writing today....

CALL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTAND ALLOWED USE OF A PROPERTY!

Yes, in fact, there are very helpful City staff in the Community Development department -- who can very quickly help you understand whether a property can be legally used as you intend to use it. 

And it is imperative that you make this call BEFORE you buy the property, and even BEFORE you make an offer on the property!