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The idea that this will lead to middle-class flight has it backwards. Allowing accessory apartments by right will help make Montgomery County houses affordable for the middle class.

Houses in many parts of Montgomery are too expensive to buy on a middle-class income alone. Renting out an accessory apartment makes a big house more affordable. But as long as homebuyers face uncertainty as to whether they will get a permit, banks will not count the rental income in deciding whether the buyer is qualified for a mortgage.

In other parts of the county, middle-class homeowners whose incomes have declined are being driven out by foreclosure. Renting out an apartment can save a home. But people fighting off foreclosure are in no position to go through a lengthy and expensive public hearing process -- they need automatic approval.

by Ben Ross on Jun 27, 2012 1:05 pm • link • report