ADUs can take many forms

My Home Plus One ADU

A Housing Assistance technical assistance and incentive program to help Cape Cod homeowners build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Building an ADU generates revenue for homeowners and helps provide the small homes our region needs. Our region has a serious shortage of small, year-round rentals. There are lots of people with great jobs that need a place to rent. And there are lots of homeowners who have a property that is larger than they need or want. That’s why Housing Assistance is launching the My Home Plus One ADU program to provide technical assistance, resources, and financial incentives to homeowners who build an ADU and rent it out year-round.

Housing Assistance created the program to address obstacles to ADU creation identified in our research of recent updated town bylaws intended to make ADU construction easier, successful marketing of ADU opportunities in some cases, and challenges to encouraging homeowners to invest in an ADU and become a landlord for the first time. Our findings are summarized in the report, Accessory Dwelling Units: Unlocking the Potential of Cape Cod’s Single-Family Home Inventory.

woman entering apartment
Download ADU Report

Your first steps to building an ADU:

  1. Review The Cape Cod Commission’s summary of Accessory Dwelling Unit Provisions for your town.
  2. Reimagine your property. What type of ADU are you hoping to develop (detached, basement, garage, or other)
  3. How many bedrooms does your current septic system allow? Contact your town’s Health Department if you are unsure.
  4. Contact Housing Assistance Corporation’s My Home Plus One ADU Program for technical assistance.

The Housing Shortage Crisis

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Land Already Developed/Protected
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Yearly Rentals Demand Unmet
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Existing Housing is Single-Family Homes
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ADU Basics

ADUs can be freestanding residences on the same lot as a single-family home, or ADUs can be developed within existing buildings, such as in the case of a basement, a bonus room or the space above a garage.

ADUs Are a Win for Homeowners, Renters, and Our Community

ADUs are an important tool that will enable us to quickly add year-round rental housing.

Why Aren’t There More ADUs Already?

Surveys reveal that greater awareness about ADUs is needed.

ADUs Provide Flexible Home Use for Different Life Situations

First Home
Rent from ADU can make ownership affordable

Young Children at Home
An ADU can house a childcare provider

Empty Nest
Rent can support college or travel expense, tenant can keep watch on property

Aging Parents
Can move into the ADU, or it can house a care provider