Did you know that there are more than 13,000,000 houses with guest suites in the United States alone? But what is a guest suite exactly?
A guest suite is a structure that can be attached or not attached to the main house. It can have many functions, but more often than not, it is a place for your guests to spend the night or for some extra family to live in.
However, there is more to a guest suite than extra space. In this guest suite guide, you will learn all about the benefits of guest suites. With this information, you can decide if a guest suite is something you really want or something you prefer to live without.
To start off our conversation, let’s take a closer look at a concept many people get confused by: the difference between a guest suite vs guest house vs mother-in-law suite.
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Guest Suite vs Guest House vs Mother-in-Law Suite
The differences between these three concepts is all in the name. A “suite” usually has to do with a single room. More often than not, a guest suite will be attached to the main house by a corridor.
A suite acts more like an extra bedroom rather than an entire extra space to live in. It can be convenient for those who are visiting and might stay for a short period of time, but no longer than that. This is because the guest suite only has a certain amount of private amenities.
Guest suites won’t usually come with private bathrooms, kitchenettes, or anything else. Instead, it will house a bed, a few pieces of furniture and decorations, and possibly a few amenities such as a television or a computer. However, since these suites are not very large, they will not often have much more than this.
There is an exception here, however, that has to do with mother-in-law suites. This type of suite tends to be much larger than a guest suite. Another big difference is that mother-in-law suites may be attached or detached from the main house.
This can give a lot of freedom and privacy to the person staying in the in-law suite as well as you when you’re living in your house. The equipment in an in-law suite often makes it an independent unite from the main house. This involves the in-law suite having a bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and often a living space in addition to the bedroom.
Because of the independence of the in-law suite, it is perfect for those staying for long periods of time such as for aging parents. A guest house, despite its name, is more or less the same as a mother-in-law suite.
What Is a Guest Suite in an Apartment Complex
Most people think of guest suites as being attached to a home. However, you will find that in this guide to guest suites, a guest suite in an apartment complex is a perfectly possible option. But what does it involve and how does it work? Is it even worth it to have a guest suite in an apartment complex?
If you’re a landlord, you know that it’s hard to get your apartments to stand out among the competition. This is why guest suites can be a great option for your complex: they offer something that no other apartment complex in your area might have. However, there are some variations in apartment guest suites compared to guest suites on residential property.
For example, guest suites in apartment complexes won’t be attached to the apartments themselves. This shouldn’t be too surprising since there wouldn’t be much room to add extra space to apartments anyway. Instead, the guest suites may be added elsewhere on the property, usually detached.
This is one of the few cases in which a guest suite is detached from the main living area. Also, because of this, you will find that guest suites in this case offer more amenities than guest suites attached to houses. So, you will often find furnished kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms in apartment complex guest suites, although this may not be the case for every apartment complex.
Guest suites will still be smaller than the apartments themselves. If the guest suites do not offer full amenities such as a bathroom, guests may need to use amenities that the apartment complex’s lobby may offer. As with apartments, guest suites are rented out, although, they are usually at a much lower price than apartments.
The Details of Apartment Complex Guest Suites
As mentioned before, guest suites on apartment complex property are usually smaller than the apartments. But how much smaller are they? They usually range between 250 and 500 square feet, but this space can vary depending on the size and quality of the apartment complex itself.
Guest suites in an apartment complex are becoming more and more popular for a variety of reasons. For one, they are short-term rentals that can help make money if your other apartments aren’t being rented out as often as you had hoped. Short-term rentals are attractive to many since they tend to be more flexible than long-term rentals.
More than that, you can view your guest suites as a trial run of your apartments. Those who rent out your guest suites may like them so much that they may want to rent out your apartments for a longer period of time. For this reason, it is important not to skimp on the quality of your guest suites.
Of course, make sure you take all the usual precautions when renting guest suites out to tenants, including criminal background checks. You may also get more business because of your guest suites. This is because those living in your apartments may have family coming to visit.
Instead of those visiting relatives staying in a nearby hotel, they could stay in your apartment complex’s guest suites. This is not only beneficial for the relatives but also for you and your finances. So, now that we’ve seen the benefits of guest suites in apartment complexes, what are the benefits of having a guest suite attached to your home?
The Benefits of Guest Suites
One of the main benefits of having a guest suite attached to your house is that it doesn’t always have to be for guests. After all, how often will you really have guests over to visit and especially stay overnight? So, what can you do with your guest suite when your guests aren’t around?
A great thing you can do is turn your guest suite into an oasis or “man cave” of sorts. Often, you will find that your house doesn’t have enough space for everything you might like to do. For example, maybe you want an extra room for arts and crafts, or a library where you can sit and relax at the end of the day, or even a room for yoga or mediation.
A guest suite is a perfect space for all of these extra activities. If you really want, you could invest a little bit of money and turn your guest suite into a personal theater. What’s better than watching movies on a big screen in the privacy of your home at the end of the day?
If you have loud kids or teenagers on your hands, the guest suite is a convenient place where they can spend time if they are bored of their rooms. If you don’t have kids and you don’t know what to do with your guest suite, you can always rent it out. This not only is a great way to rake in some extra money, but you might even meet some interesting people.
Maybe the idea of renting out your guest suite doesn’t appeal to you. No problem! There are endless possibilities when it comes to guest suites.
However, are there any disadvantages?
Disadvantages to Guest Suites
The disadvantages of having a guest suite aren’t any different than the disadvantages of having a larger house. Of course, with the extra space your guest suite will offer, there will be more in your house that you need to clean. This might involve more time vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning the windows and furniture.
If don’t have a guest suite yet but are thinking about having one built, it is important to keep in mind that a guest suite can get expensive. This is especially true depending on how large and luxurious you want your guest suite to be. However, despite the few advantages, a guest suite almost always offers more benefits than disadvantages.
Your Guest Suite Guide
By the end of this guide, you should no longer be asking yourself, “What is a guest suite?” Instead, you know all about guest suites, guest houses, and guest suites in apartment complexes. With this information, you can decide whether a guest suite is right for you.
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