Nine of our houses are two-family buildings, and we rent each unit separately. Your group signs its own lease for its own side of the house. Here is what that means in practice.
What does renting by the unit mean?
A two-family house is one building with two separate dwelling units, each with its own entrance, kitchen, and living space. We do not lease the whole building to one large group and let people sort it out. Each unit goes to its own group under its own lease, which is why our apply page lists these buildings unit by unit rather than as one address.
The town treats them separately too. Fairfield requires a Certificate of Rental Occupancy for any rented dwelling unit, so each unit has its own certificate, its own inspection, and its own approved number of occupants.
Does our group get its own lease?
Yes. Your lease covers your unit only. Your names, your guarantors, your rent schedule, your security deposit, and your door code all belong to your unit. What happens with the other unit's lease is not attached to yours.
You also get your own portal. Every tenant and every guarantor on your lease gets a login showing the lease, the payment schedule, the door code, and maintenance for your unit.
How is occupancy set for one unit?
By the town, the same as any other rental. The approved occupancy for your unit is on the listing before you tour, and it does not move. It is the unit's number, not the building's, so do not add the two sides together and assume the total is available to your group. The reasoning is the same one in our post on why every house is listed at its legal occupancy.
What do we share with the other unit?
It depends on the house. Some of these buildings have a shared driveway, a shared yard, or shared trash and recycling bins at the curb. Others share almost nothing but a wall. Ask on the tour and we will show you exactly where the line is, because it is easier to know in October than to discover in September.
One thing to plan on either way: sound travels between units in an older beach house. Two groups in one building works when each treats the other like neighbors, which is the same standard the whole neighborhood runs on.
Who rents the other unit?
Another group, on its own lease, signed with us separately. We do not match groups to each other and we do not put your group with anyone. If the other unit is already leased when you tour, we will tell you it is taken. We will not tell you anything about the people in it, and they get the same from us about you.
How do we apply for a unit?
Go to the apply page and pick the unit, not the building. Two-family houses appear there as separate listings, so you can choose the side you want and tell us what else you are open to. One person applies for the whole group, and someone from our team calls back within two to three business days.
Start at apply.lanternpointmanagement.com or call or text (203) 418-7800. New to the area? Our guide to the Fairfield Beach neighborhood shows where these streets are, and how leasing works covers the rest of the sequence.
Source: Town of Fairfield Health Department, Certificate of Rental Occupancy.