Los Angeles County Homes with an ADU for Sale
Search Los Angeles County homes that include an accessory dwelling unit, casita, granny flat, or permitted guest house, city by city. A permitted detached ADU, a junior ADU, a guest house with no kitchen, and an unpermitted conversion are four different properties — they appraise differently, finance differently, and only some can be rented. Pick your city below, or read what to check first.
Los Angeles County homes listed with an ADU, casita, or guest house fall into three practical categories: a permitted, self-contained accessory dwelling unit; a permitted second unit without a full kitchen; and a converted space that was never permitted. They finance, appraise, and rent differently. Confirm which one you are looking at — from the permit record and the appraiser's classification — before the asking price means anything.
How second units differ across Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County carries the widest range of second-unit stock of the four counties we cover — long-standing back houses on older deep lots at one end, recent purpose-built detached ADUs at the other. It also carries the widest range of permit reality. Older units are frequently undocumented, and that is precisely the situation where pulling the record before you offer changes the price rather than just the paperwork.
Across every city on this page the same thing decides the outcome: the unit's legal status. It drives appraised value, whether a lender counts the property as one dwelling or two, whether any rent can be considered, what your insurance looks like, and what you may legally do with the space after closing. Listing remarks are doing sales work — "casita," "guest quarters," "in-law suite" are marketing words. The permit record is the classification.
For the wider county picture beyond second units, start at the Los Angeles County real estate hub. For how the rules work statewide, and for the terms that are not city-specific, see our California guide to homes with an accessory dwelling unit.
Los Angeles County cities with ADU and guest house listings
Ordered by how much second-unit search demand each page actually serves, so the busiest markets appear first. Each city page carries the live MLS search for that city.
- Torrance homes with a permitted second unit
- Lakewood listings with a detached ADU
- Long Beach homes with a casita or guest house
- Norwalk properties with separate living quarters
- West Covina listings flagged with a guest house
- Bellflower homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- La Mirada properties with a second dwelling
- Gardena listings with extra living space
- Glendora homes with an attached guest suite
- Whittier properties with a back house or converted unit
- Diamond Bar homes with a permitted second unit
- Redondo Beach listings with a detached ADU
- San Dimas homes with a casita or guest house
- Agoura Hills properties with separate living quarters
- Santa Fe Springs listings flagged with a guest house
- Cerritos homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- Palmdale properties with a second dwelling
- Lancaster listings with extra living space
- Compton homes with an attached guest suite
- Culver City properties with a back house or converted unit
- Santa Monica homes with a permitted second unit
- Temple City listings with a detached ADU
- Palos Verdes Estates homes with a casita or guest house
- West Hollywood properties with separate living quarters
- Inglewood listings flagged with a guest house
- South Gate homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- Pico Rivera properties with a second dwelling
- San Fernando listings with extra living space
- Santa Clarita homes with an attached guest suite
- Alhambra properties with a back house or converted unit
- Arcadia homes with a permitted second unit
- Artesia listings with a detached ADU
- Azusa homes with a casita or guest house
- Baldwin Park properties with separate living quarters
- Beverly Hills listings flagged with a guest house
- Burbank homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- Calabasas properties with a second dwelling
- Carson listings with extra living space
- Covina homes with an attached guest suite
- El Monte properties with a back house or converted unit
- El Segundo homes with a permitted second unit
- Hawthorne listings with a detached ADU
- Hermosa Beach homes with a casita or guest house
- Huntington Park properties with separate living quarters
- La Canada Flintridge listings flagged with a guest house
- La Puente homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- La Verne properties with a second dwelling
- Los Angeles listings with extra living space
- Manhattan Beach homes with an attached guest suite
- Monrovia properties with a back house or converted unit
- Monterey Park homes with a permitted second unit
- Pomona listings with a detached ADU
- Rancho Palos Verdes homes with a casita or guest house
- Rolling Hills Estates properties with separate living quarters
- San Gabriel listings flagged with a guest house
- San Marino homes with an accessory dwelling unit
- South El Monte properties with a second dwelling
- South Pasadena listings with extra living space
- Walnut homes with an attached guest suite
- Westlake Village properties with a back house or converted unit
Six things to verify before you write an offer
In order. Each can change what you should offer, and the first three can change whether the deal is financeable at all.
- The permit record Pull it from the city or county, not the listing. "Permitted" in the remarks is a claim. A final inspection or certificate of occupancy is a record.
- How the appraiser will classify it A permitted ADU treated as a bonus room contributes very differently than one treated as a second dwelling. Ask early; do not learn it from the appraisal.
- Whether your loan program recognizes the unit Programs differ on second units, on JADUs, and on unpermitted space. Options may vary by borrower and property, subject to qualification and lender guidelines.
- Utilities and metering Separately metered, sub-metered, or shared changes both the rental math and what a tenant will accept.
- Insurance A second dwelling on the lot is not always covered the same way as a detached garage. Get a quote before you remove contingencies.
- What you are actually allowed to do with it Long-term rental, short-term rental, family use, and home office are governed by different rules — and by the HOA if there is one. Confirm with the city and the HOA in writing.
We are a real estate and mortgage brokerage, not a land-use, legal, tax, or contracting authority. Size limits, setbacks, parking rules, and permit requirements are set by each city and they change; we do not publish them. The planning division for the city in question is the authority. For legal and tax consequences, use a qualified attorney or CPA.
Financing a Los Angeles County home with an ADU, or building one
Two different conversations, and people often start in the wrong one. Buying a property that already has a permitted second unit is a purchase-financing question. Adding a unit to a home you already own is an equity or construction question. Our lending side handles both — same team, same file.
Selling a Los Angeles County home that has an ADU
Pricing, appraisal positioning, and how to document the unit so it counts toward value instead of raising questions.
Selling with an ADUADU and ground-up construction financing
We write ADU construction and ground-up construction loans. Structure, the draw process, and what an appraiser needs to see. Subject to qualification, property type, and lender guidelines.
Construction FinancingUsing existing equity instead
If your first mortgage is at a rate you would not want to replace, a second position may be worth comparing before a cash-out refinance. Compare before you refinance.
Compare Equity OptionsWhether income from a second unit can be counted toward qualifying depends on the loan program, how the appraiser classifies the unit, documentation, and lender guidelines. It is sometimes possible and sometimes not — we tell you which before you write the offer rather than after. Nothing here is an approval, an offer of credit, or a guarantee that any program is available for your situation.
Los Angeles County ADU and guest house questions
How do I find homes with an ADU for sale in Los Angeles County?
Use the city list on this page to reach the city you are searching, then the live MLS search on that page filters listings flagged as having a separate guest house or second unit. That flag is entered by the listing agent, so treat it as a shortlist rather than a complete or verified list. Some permitted ADUs are never flagged, and some flagged properties turn out to have unpermitted space. We cross-check permit records before you write an offer.
What is the difference between an ADU, a JADU, and a guest house?
An accessory dwelling unit is a self-contained second residence on the lot with its own kitchen, bathroom, and entry. A junior ADU is a smaller unit created inside the existing home, usually with an efficiency kitchen and sometimes a shared bathroom. A guest house or casita may have living space and a bathroom but no full kitchen, which generally means it is not a separate dwelling unit and cannot be rented independently. Appraisers and lenders treat the three differently.
Can I use the second unit's rent to help qualify for the loan?
Sometimes. It depends on the loan program, how the appraiser classifies the unit, what documentation exists, and lender guidelines. A permitted, separately accessed unit with a lease history is a much stronger case than an unpermitted converted garage. We check program treatment before you write the offer rather than after, because it can change what you should offer. Options may vary by borrower and property, and are subject to qualification and lender guidelines.
Is it a problem to buy a Los Angeles County home with an unpermitted second unit?
It is not automatically a dealbreaker, but it narrows your options and it changes the price. Some lenders will not finance the property at all, and an appraiser may assign no value to the space or require that it be removed. If you buy anyway, you are taking on the cost and uncertainty of legalizing or reversing the work. Price it in before you offer, not after the appraisal.
Can I build an ADU on a Los Angeles County home I already own?
Often yes, but what is allowed on a specific parcel depends on current city standards, the lot, utilities, and access. We do not publish those standards because they change — confirm current requirements with the planning division for your city. On the financing side we write ADU construction and ground-up construction loans, and it is worth comparing a construction loan against a second-position option before touching a first mortgage you like the rate on.
Which Los Angeles County cities have the most second-unit listings?
Inventory shifts constantly, so the honest answer is that it depends on the week. What does hold steady is that older neighbourhoods with deeper lots produce more detached units than newer tract housing, and that is a pattern rather than a rule. Use the city list above to check live inventory in the cities you are actually considering, and call us if you want a read across several at once.
About this page
Solve Lending & Realty is a California mortgage and real estate brokerage serving Los Angeles County and Southern California from Cerritos, California, in business since 2020. This page is general education about buying and selling homes with accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County. It is not a loan approval, an offer of credit, legal advice, tax advice, an appraisal, or a determination of what is permitted on any specific parcel. Zoning, permitting, and building-code questions are answered by the planning division for the city in question. Loan program availability, eligibility, and pricing are subject to qualification, property type, and lender guidelines, and not all programs are available for all borrowers or properties.
Get a straight read on a Los Angeles County property
Send the address. We will tell you what the unit likely is, how a lender and an appraiser are likely to treat it, and what that means for your offer. No credit pull required to review general options.