Not just for mother-in-law

Accessory apartments benefit society and the economy, and it's time for tax credits to promote them

The credits would spur construction that is labor-intensive and that, unlike public works, involves little lead time. It would increase the supply of small-unit rental housing at a fraction of the cost of new, subsidized housing. Six studies (one done by Montgomery County) show that accessory apartment rents are below those for most units of similar size. Moreover, half are rented by relatives at "deep subsidies." Tenants will typically be acceptable to or relatives of residents. Despite conventional fears that such arrangements may diminish property values or lead to neighborhood decline, Internet searches reveal no reported instances of actual neighborhood decline. And leaders at the local level have by now secured enactment of thousands of ordinances, so national leadership is no longer a significant political risk.

Accessory apartments would relieve demand for subsidized-housing construction and nursing homes and services for the elderly. Any worsening of parking availability would be more than offset by benefits to the tax base and to property values provided by new flows of rental income and reduced foreclosures. People buying homes with the help of rental income from accessory apartments would strengthen the housing market.

Politicians do not get to cut ribbons when a homeowner installs an accessory apartment. Nor do benefits accrue to the politically wired-in builders of subsidized housing, whose fast write-offs and subsidies result in six-figure costs to government for each newly created small unit. Rather, the beneficiaries are families struggling to keep homes, elderly citizens seeking added income and companionship, small improvement contractors and workers in appliance plants. "Mother-in-law apartments" are an age-old, common-sense solution whose time has come.

Patrick H. Hare is the author of "Creating an Accessory Apartment" and has been a consultant to governments on accessory housing. George W. Liebmann is a Baltimore lawyer and author of "Neighborhood Futures." His e-mail is

[e-mail].