As a landlord, being able to maximize your property, have passive income coming in, and being able to provide a stable home for a senior is an amazing feeling.
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For Erica, a native Angeleno, single-mother of three children, and entertainment industry manager, the LA ADU Accelerator Program fulfilled two personal goals. “I’ve always been a giver. I know that my purpose here is to give back. In addition, I’ve always wanted to branch out as an entrepreneur. I thought the LA ADU Accelerator Program could be a win-win situation.”
Like many other homeowners, Erica built an ADU with the intent of gaining rental income from the unit. However, she never expected that building an ADU would allow her to have a life-changing impact on another member of her community. “As a landlord, being able to maximize your property, have passive income coming in, and being able to provide a stable home for a senior is an amazing feeling.”
Erica applied to the LA ADU Accelerator Program while her ADU was still under construction, a process she described as “simple” and “easy.” She completed the program steps in conjunction with her ADU building timeline, and within a few days of receiving her certificate of occupancy, her tenant, German, moved in. As a first-time landlord, Erica has appreciated the support provided by the City and ONEGeneration, from screening tenants to writing the lease agreement.
"From the landlord's perspective, I have been pretty hands-off. Whether it's the City or ONEGeneration, they have taken [the process] and made it so effective and efficient for the landlord."
Along with the assistance she’s received from the program as a first-time landlord, Erica feels she’s gained something more intangible: the fulfillment of helping someone in-need. "After German signed the lease agreement, he came by to drop off some of his items. And he started talking to me about his story, and his life,” Erica said. “At some point in his life, he had lived in a car. And at that very moment, my heart was full. I thought ‘Wow, I'm making a big impact on somebody's life.’"
Although Erica has only been participating in the program for a few months, she feels that the program has already transformed her life in really significant ways. Her relationships with ONEGeneration and German have changed her outlook on how to help older adults find housing.