Here are some more facts about the use of the basement.
Basement: As per the building bye-laws, the lower part of the building that is located partially below the street level is considered a basement. It is an additional space that has multi-purpose usage.
Basement as a residential space: As per the regulations of National Building Code, legally basements can be used for the purpose of parking, storage, cellar or installing air conditioning machinery only. But in today’s time, many people rent out basement for a residential purpose. This is not legal as per the law as the usage of the basement for kitchen and bathroom is not allowed. If the basement is part of a residential property then that space is even illegal to be used for any commercial purpose. For that one need to take proper permission from the municipality of that respective area.
What if the basement is used for the residential purpose? if somebody has been staying in the basement then he or she needs to need to consult a lawyer first who deals with matters related to the municipality. If someone gets a notice, then he or she can definitely challenge in the high court. Herein a lawyer could help in planning the course of action. Obligations raised by the municipality are based on some rules and regulations, so one needs to check whether those rules are applicable in his or her case. However, the bylaws differ from state to state.
In addition, basements are also considered unsafe for living purpose due to many reasons. So if you are considering a basement space to be your next residence, then think twice as it is illegally wrong and you might be in trouble along with being not healthy to reside in.