[richb]

What should happen is allowing for more 2 flats in single family neighborhoods. So you end up with mostly owner occupied + a rental unit for extra income (helps out on mortgages and high property taxes too). Also owner occupied units will help keep tenants in line, as rentals can be problems for neighbors.

When I was selling real estate, a really nice two flat came on the market. Very rare in my area, its existence was largely due to a glitch in zoning (yup, it was legal). From the street you would never know it was a two flat, looks totally like a single family house. It is on a corner lot, with a nice big front porch. 3 bedroom 3 baths 2 car garage, full basement about 2500 sq. ft. The front door to the rental unit was around the corner facing the cross street. It has 2 bedrooms 1 1/2 baths about 800 sq feet and a carport, and gets about $1300 in rent. Kick myself for not buying it myself.

But yeah, if there were a handful of these types of houses spread through most single family neighborhoods, I think it would be helpful for both tenants and small time landlords. Like it was a hundred years ago.