Basement Apartment Rental Income in Tooele County
Upterra Builders · July 19, 2026
Building a basement apartment only makes sense if the rent justifies the cost. We are builders, not your accountant, so treat these as ballpark numbers from what we see around Tooele County, not a promise. But the math here is genuinely good, which is why we build so many of these.
What a Basement Apartment Rents For Here
Rents in Tooele County have climbed steadily as people priced out of the Salt Lake valley move west for the commute. A clean, legal basement apartment with its own entrance, kitchen, and full bath typically rents for:
- Studio or small one-bedroom: $1,000 to $1,300 per month
- One-bedroom: $1,200 to $1,500 per month
- Two-bedroom: $1,400 to $1,800 per month
Location inside the county matters. Units close to Main Street, the Stansbury Park amenities, or an easy shot to SR-36 and the commute rent faster and for a little more.
The Payback Math
Say you build a solid one-bedroom apartment for $70,000 and rent it for $1,350 a month. That is $16,200 a year in gross rent. After you set aside something for vacancy, utilities you cover, and the occasional repair, call it $13,000 to $14,000 a year net. At that rate the apartment pays for itself in roughly 5 to 6 years, and after that it is income for as long as you own the house.
Run it on a two-bedroom built for $90,000 renting at $1,650, and you are looking at a similar 5 to 6 year payback with a bigger monthly check. The exact timeline moves with your build cost, your rent, and how much you cover on utilities, but the shape is the same: a defined payback, then years of positive cash flow.
Beyond the Rent Check
The monthly rent is the obvious benefit, but there are two others worth knowing:
- It adds documented value. A legal, permitted apartment with income shows up when you appraise for a refinance or sell. Unpermitted space does not count and can scare off buyers, which is exactly why we permit everything.
- It is flexible. Rent it now, and later use it for aging parents, a returning college kid, or a home office. A well-built unit serves whatever your family needs next.
What Makes an Apartment Rent Fast
After building a lot of these, we can tell you what tenants actually care about here:
- A private entrance so it feels like their own place, not your basement
- Good natural light from proper egress windows
- A real kitchen with a full-size range and fridge, not a hot plate
- In-unit or dedicated laundry
- A parking spot that is clearly theirs
Skimp on those and the unit sits empty or draws lower rent. Get them right and it rents the first week.
Costs to Budget Against the Rent
Gross rent is not what lands in your pocket, so be honest with yourself about the holdbacks. Plan for a few weeks of vacancy between tenants each year. Decide up front whether you cover utilities or the tenant does, because a separate meter or a flat utility add to the rent changes the math. Set aside a little each month for repairs, since a rented unit gets more wear than a spare bedroom. Even after all of that, a well-built basement apartment in Tooele County still nets the large majority of its rent, which is why the payback stays in that 5 to 6 year window.
Do It Legally or Do Not Do It
Before you count a dollar of rent, confirm your lot allows a rental unit. Zoning is not the same on every parcel in the county, and the rules around accessory units have shifted, so check current Tooele County requirements first. An unpermitted apartment can bring fines, an insurance problem if something goes wrong, and a mess at resale. Done right, it is one of the smartest things you can do with an unfinished basement here.
Upterra Builders is owned by Danny and Trayson and builds legal basement apartments across Tooele City, Stansbury Park, Grantsville, Erda, and Stockton. Licensed and insured in Utah. Call or text (435) 248-0339.