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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
 
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Does the notice say anything about deadlines or fines if they don't inspect?
This is JC City Hall you're dealing with.... You could probably just ignore it and it will go away.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 13:55
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
Do you have a local attorney who handles real estate matters for you? I'd check with him/her. I'd make them get a warrant - at which point they'd probably give up and move on to the next victim. I'd imagine the burden of proof is on them to get a judge to sign off on a warrant - i.e. they have to show probable cause of a violation, such as a complaint from a tenant, and not just a fishing expedition. In criminal matters, judges don't just sign search warrants for fishing expeditions, so I find it hard to believe they'd do it for building/fire code cases. As for pissing them off, I guess that depends on how much future dealings you expect to have with the department. As a landlord, I guess you have to balance your interests. I suspect there are too many inspectors nowadays with too little to do compared with three or four years ago, and they're scratching about for extra revenue. I've had nothing but extremely negative experiences with them - it's beyond surreal the level of ineptitude and dysfunction I encountered, if not outright corruption. I'm also at the point where, after this latest property tax hike, I'm making exit plans from JC, so I don't care about pissing off an inspector or two.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 12:48
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Just can't stay away
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Not trying to cause panic, but could this also be a scam? Someone trying to get into those apartments to rob them? You hear stories, all the time, of the elderly being victimized by "the water department" needing to get into an apartment to "fix" something. I mean it is a stretch that they would be posting a notice so far in advance, but stranger things have happened. Maybe worth a trip the your local precinct also.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 12:46
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Not too shy to talk
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The State sends inspectors to apartment and condo buildings every six years to check for smoke and co detectors and to make sure doors have door closures. When you pass inspection they send you an updated 8 1/2 x 11 State official document to be posted in the building that reflects the date of inspection.
I'm not familiar with City inspections for smoke and co detectors... to my knowledge, it has always been handled by the State.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 11:44
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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GrovePath wrote:
What did the notice look like - who issued it, and how was it posted?[/quote] It was a 8.5x11 sheet taped to the outside door with TENANT NOTICE repeated on it, and said there would be an inspection on a day next week, but oddly, no time was specified. It said "office of the code official" if I recall exactly, and had a number I called. It was a 547 # like all the buildings dept numbers, but not their general number. Unlike the usual code enforcement/permit office number, someone actually answered.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 4:16
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
What did the notice look like - who issued it, and how was it posted?
Posted on: 2010/3/27 2:58
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Quote:
My understanding of this issue is that you really don't have to let them in without a warrant. It was a US supreme court case from the late 60's. But boy would that piss them off, no? I'm not sure now how to find out more about this. The style is very much like the state, but with less notice. should I ask to see the relevant statute? Should I contact Steve Fulop's office to ask for me?
Posted on: 2010/3/27 2:56
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
Joined:
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me thinks that the brewster-man pissed off city hall ...
must be his avatar ...
Posted on: 2010/3/27 2:00
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Just can't stay away
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Condo's do get a 5 year "green card" inspection from the state. I am the "super" of a condo bldg and we just went through this (and we went through it on at another bldg a couple of years ago). I too own a couple of multifamily bldgs and I have never had to go through a 3 year inspection from the city. I do not like the sound of this. I can see this being some kind of revenue generator.
Posted on: 2010/3/27 0:59
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Hmmm. This is troubling, and I think Brewster's fears of a fishing expedition are well founded. Nothing good can come of this. I'm curious to ask the posters whose condo buildings have had such inspections: did they find any violations? Also, what is the legality of refusing inspectors entry in NJ? In NYC, homeowners can legally refuse entry to building inspectors who don't have a warrant (not sure if this applies to rental buildings, though). In any case, I'm wondering about owner-occupied single family homes and condos - can we legally deny entry to inspectors?
Posted on: 2010/3/26 23:02
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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You're in Jersey City, everyone is looking for some extra "income". I remember when the fire inspectors wanted to test our building fire alarm on Sunday at 6 am, what city agency works at 6 am on Sunday? They would also schedule inspections then cancel them and blame the building for not showing up at the appointed time threatening us with fines. We never succumbed to their tactics or paid any extra income to stop the harrasment.
Posted on: 2010/3/26 20:38
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
Joined:
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i never heard of this before ... i agree ... this is fishy (in more than one way) ...
Posted on: 2010/3/26 20:22
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Hmmm, you're all in condos while this is a 3 family. I wonder if they're confused about the status of the property, since I get, and pass, exactly that kind of safety inspection from the state already, and the city never did it before on either multifamily. Condos don't get state green cards, do they?
My main concern is the potential of them using it as a "fishing expedition" to find all sorts of other stuff that has been there for 50 years without a problem. Fines+permits=$
Posted on: 2010/3/26 18:43
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Quite a regular
 
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It happened to us last year, same as what 07310 described. I'm in a 5 unit condo.
Posted on: 2010/3/26 18:14
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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Is this any condo or just converted apartment buildings. What about small condos with less than 8 units ?
Posted on: 2010/3/26 18:02
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Re: Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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This happened in my condo recently, they came around to inspect all the units smoke alarms, sprinkler systems and co2 detectors to make sure they are current and up to code.
Posted on: 2010/3/26 17:29
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Anyone getting "routine 3 year" building inspections by city?
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Home away from home
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One of my properties was posted with a notice saying Buildings wanted to inspect tenants apartments. I called and was told there was no complaint, it was a routine "every 3 years" inspection. I've owned that place for 6 years, and another for 13, and never had any "routine" city inspection, just the 5 year state green card inspections. Once I had some firemen, but that was over a decade ago.
Anyone know what this is about? Are they starting a new regimen or am I being targeted for something? Is it a "new revenue by violation" campaign?
Posted on: 2010/3/26 16:06
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