A Guest House - Is it Legal? Yes and no. There are several Los Angeles none Luxury Neighborhoods that have legal guest houses that were built prior to 1950. These homes were built as an accessory to a Single Family Dwelling on the same lot. They have sleeping rooms, full bathrooms, but NO Kitchens. Somewhat similar to an original hotel or motel - No Kitchen. Also they're not designed for long term occupancy. So using it as a rental property may be illegal, but using it as a Guest House as defined in the City of Los Angeles Zoning (57 comments)