Orem closes home rental loophole

OREM — The City Council closed a loophole Tuesday night in city ordinances that would have allowed couples to turn their single-family homes into two-family dwellings.

The law allows two unrelated individuals who do not pay rent to live with the primary occupants of a home. It was designed to accommodate nannies, foreign exchange students and others.

The previous ordinance allowed a couple to rent their home to a family and then remain in the home as the two unrelated individuals who did not pay rent. The new language eliminated that option.

"The primary purpose here is to retain the single-family nature of our neighborhoods," assistant city attorney Steve Earl told council members, who approved the change.

Another proposed change that would allow residents 65 and older to rent part of their home to up to two unrelated individuals was put on hold.

— Marc Haddock