Common Housing Code Violations to Watch Out For

real estate

Whether you own or rent your home, you need to be aware of potential code violations that could affect you, especially if you live in an older home. Renters can make landlords fix housing code violations but knowing how to recognize them when you’re touring a house or apartments like the Arrive Apartments Seattle WA 98121 can help you find attentive landlords.

It wouldn’t exactly put a landlord in the good books if you tour a home and see evidence of issues that clearly have been left for a while, or signs of a pest/wildlife infestation. Of course you can look at ways on how to trap an armadillo or find tips on how to eradicate termites yourself, but essentially, you are walking into a home that has serious issues and violations that if your potential landlord didn’t care enough about to fix, then what makes you think they’ll start now?

If you own your own home, on the other hand, you may need to bring some violations up to code before you can sell. Most things are considered to be in code if they were in code at the time they were installed, haven’t been moved or tampered with, and are still in working condition. But if you do work on your home or you’re selling to a buyer with a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, then you need to be on the lookout for these common code violations.

Missing or Non-Working Detectors

Missing or non-working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is a big no-no. Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives. Your local building code will dictate how many smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors a residence should have, and where they should be placed. Smoke detectors may be required in each bedroom as well as outside the sleeping area, and they may be required on each floor of the house. Carbon monoxide detectors may also need to be installed on every level of the home. If you need to report a lack of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your rental property, most municipalities use code enforcement software that allows residents to make complaints online.

Non-Compliant or Missing Handrails

A home won’t pass an FHA home inspection if it has missing, unstable, or otherwise non-compliant handrails on stairways. Handrails must be firmly anchored. Balusters must be less than four inches apart. Your local building codes will also dictate the required height of the handrails.

Inadequate Venting of the Bathroom

Many older homes don’t have adequate ventilation in the bathroom. Sometimes, the only ventilation in a bathroom is the window. Often, bathrooms don’t even have a window that can open. To be up to code, a bathroom needs a fan that vents moist air to the outside through the wall or ceiling. A lack of appropriate ventilation can lead to moisture problems, which can lead to mold. To comply with your local regulations, contact air conditioning specialists melbourne (or your area) and they can help you fit an appropriate system in place. This will help you comply with the law and promote a higher safety standard in your home.

Lack of GFCI Outlets 

Any electrical outlets within six feet of a water source must be ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets. GFCIs are designed to cut off power to the outlet if they sense a big surge of energy – which is the kind of thing that can happen when water comes into contact with electricity. GFCI outlets should be in operable condition.

Inadequate Heating

Inadequate heating is a code violation in many jurisdictions, and in some areas where it gets really hot, a lack of air conditioning may also violate the housing code. To be up to code in most locations, a house must have a working furnace. You can’t rely on space heaters.

Electrical Connections Outside a Junction Box

Electrical connections need to be inside a junction box with the appropriate cover affixed to it. Electrical connections must also be accessible, not walled up behind the drywall. You may have to trace the wires inside your walls to find connections that aren’t in a junction box. 

Unlabeled Electrical Circuits

The last thing you need is to open the electrical panel on a stormy night to find that none of the circuits are properly labeled – and some of the breakers are even missing! Problems of this nature with the electrical panel are definitely a violation of code. You will have to figure out which circuits the breakers control and relabel them. Have a professional electrician make any necessary repairs to your electrical panel.

Unpermitted Renovations

If you do renovations in your home, it’s crucial you get a permit. Most municipalities allow you to replace things in your home without getting a permit. For example, you could tear up carpeting and put down a new hardwood floor without a permit. You could replace a toilet without a permit. But when you want to make changes to the structure of the home – when it comes to building or removing walls, adding additions, doing plumbing and wiring, adding rooms or finishing a basement – you need to pull permits. Otherwise, you could be in for a fine when you sell the house.

Whether you rent or own, you need to know what common housing code violations to be on the watch for. Your vigilance can keep your home safe.