Startup offers to build studio apartments in homeowners' backyards and split the rental income

Rent the Backyard is a startup that is building small standalone apartments in people's backyards and splitting the rent with the homeowner.

From Techcrunch:

That means Rent the Backyard works with a partner to build the apartment, finances the construction, lists the property, selects the tenant, collects the rent and serves as the landlord. In exchange for all that, it has an ownership stake in the unit and keeps 50% of the rent.

The startup also handles the permitting, which co-founder Spencer Burleigh said has become much easier with recent changes in California law. In fact, he pointed to stories about how these changes have led to skyrocketing applications (16 in 2016, 350 in 2018) to build "in-law" units in San Jose, which is where the startup is focused for now.

Image: Rent the Backyard