Double Shotgun House-Hack Calculator

The mortgage payment uses the standard amortization formula on the loan amount implied by your purchase price and down payment. Property tax and insurance are spread monthly, and the maintenance reserve acknowledges that most doubles are older buildings that need ongoing care. Rent from side B is reduced by the vacancy allowance before it offsets your costs, since a unit is rarely occupied every month of the year.

Whether a specific double can legally be rented as two units is a property-level question. Start with whether a double shotgun is legally a two-family home and the permit-history workflow before underwriting any rent.

First establish that the property may lawfully operate as two dwellings. A paired façade, two meters or an advertised unit count can be useful evidence, but none should replace the City record. Use the double-to-single and single-to-double conversion guide when the visible layout and recorded use do not agree.

Next source every input. Match the purchase price and financing to an actual loan scenario; use current tax and insurance evidence; compare side B with lawful, similar long-term rentals; and keep utilities, management, turnover, repairs and capital replacements visible. The double-shotgun investment guide turns those inputs into a fuller property review.

If short-term rental income is part of the idea, stop and verify the current rules before inserting a nightly rate. The New Orleans short-term rental rules guide and the long-term versus short-term comparison keep legal feasibility separate from an income projection.