Before Listing Your Property

The IPMC establishes important property maintenance regulations that will ultimately protect you as the landlord, as well as your tenants. Proper code enforcement can identify and prevent high liability issues such as the lack of working smoke detectors or a lack of means of egress (exit) in a sleeping area. Renting out an unsafe property can have tragic consequences and can lead to lawsuits and even criminal charges being filed against you. Theoretically, complying with the IPMC protects you from renting out an unsafe property. If the rental inspection shows code violations that need to be remedied, you will be given a written list of repairs that need to be made before you can rent out the property.

At a bare minimum, you will need to ensure that the rental property does not have any structural, fire, or electrical hazards that could be a threat to life or safety. You will also have to show that the property is fitted with properly working smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers. The properties’ mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, sewer, chimney, and ventilation systems will be required to be in operable and habitable conditions and will need to be maintained in a operable and habitable condition in compliance with all state and municipal regulations and standards.

You may also be required to submit to the local municipality the names of all occupants of your rental units and to provide updates when occupancy changes. If you sell the property or change property managers or emergency contacts, you will need to notify the code enforcement department of such change.

If your property is found to have a code violation, you will be ordered to correct the issue within a certain time frame or be issued a citation. The borough, township, or city issuing the citation can take you to court if you fail to bring the property up to code. Failing to bring a property up to code can result in significant fines and even a misdemeanor charge.