Restrictions on in-law units were decreased in September by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to help ease the ongoing housing crisis. The changes include things like halving application processing time and permitting structures on multifamily properties. 

An in-law unit, also called a guest house or a granny unit, is defined as “an accessory dwelling unit – an additional separate living space located on a property where only one unit would normally be” by SFGate. These units can be either connected, inside, or completely detached from housing on the property. 

The need for easier accessibility to build these units is clear from the number of permits for 2021. Despite the ongoing need for them, no permits have been finalized in 2021, as of August according to a Sonoma County report. This is down from 20 permits finalized in 2020 and 62 in 2019. 

Renee Schomp, director of the Napa Sonoma Accessory Dwelling Unit Center, explains that “ADUs can help bridge the middle-income housing gap and can contribute significant housing production relatively quickly and affordably with opportunities to expand access to lower-income households.”

ADUs seem to embrace how living arrangements have changed and how they still need to change. While most articles about ADU talk about their accessibility to house people with low incomes, their online presence is mostly about housing family members.

The Napa Sonoma ADU website espouses, “Whether it provides a home for the immediate family, personal space for extended family or friends, a private home for parents, grandparents, or a family member with disabilities, or a return to home for grown children, an ADU can suit the needs of a variety of family situations.”

The mention of returning home is very relevant since over 40 percent of adults aged 18-34 live with their parents as of March 2021, according to 24/7 Wall St. This percentage is heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the availability of housing as well as inflation. 

Prices are rising all around the country as the Consumer Price Index has increased 6.2 percent over the last year, with a 0.9 percent increase just in October alone. While the CPI does include “shelter,” it has more direct influence over the price of housing. According to Century 21’s website, “Many leases indicate that rent prices will rise at the same rate as the CPI.”

California, specifically Sonoma County, has sky-high housing prices. The Press Democrat reports, “In September, the median price for single-family houses in the county hit $755,000, a 5% increase from the same month last year and a 16% jump from September 2019.” The same article also explained that rentals saw an “increase 11% year-over-year in October to $1,565 a month for a one-bedroom.”

In-law units may be the perfect solution to housing relatives, and definitely add more housing options, it may not be very accessible to low-income families. The Press Democrat said, “The median rental price of an accessory dwelling unit in the Bay Area is well above that at $2,200 a month.” However, an increase in ADUs being built may allow that median to go down.

As far as solving the housing crisis, this looks more like a band-aid solution. But ADUs are definitely the way of the future as far as housing families are concerned. Expenses for senior housing are astronomical in this country. This creates a better option that lets more families live closer together. No need to worry about grandma when she is living in the backyard.

Many people look down at housing family members, but it is slowly becoming more and more necessary. ADUs are the best solution for now, offering a happy medium by providing homes for family members who otherwise can’t afford it, but also keeping a little bit of private space, even if that private space may be just a door away.