When you buy rental venture property in Pennsylvania, of the first people you will probably meet is the local code enforcement officer. If the property is inside the city limits, it will likely be a municipal code officer, or one of his inspectors. An inspection will be scheduled. You or one of your employees, (if you have any) will be asked to accompany the officer. They will take notes and when done will let you know they will be sending you a list of violations. When you get the report, it will probably have a cover letter telling you that you have X days to bring the violations up to the local, or in some cases state construction codes.
In my touch with owning some properties in 4 separate local cities as well as some in a township face a city, regulations vary all over the map as do enforcement procedures, fines for non-compliance, etc.
A Map Of Pennsylvania
Most of the local code officers are very inexpensive but some are not. I could give lots of examples but one springs to mind as typical of one who was not Imho reasonable.
The property in request was in a township, and part of the property was on one side of th road, part on the other. The former owner had left an old rusty car and a large whole of old hasten ties. As well as a decrepit looking construction over the road from the house. A neighbor filed a complaint and I ended up as a defendant in a suit brought by the local township on the fee of running a junkyard without a license. I was found guilty by the local magistrate and given 30 days to get it cleaned up and fined
.00.
I got the property cleaned up and a "reinspection" was held and it passed, but I had to get a lawyer to go to the court to present the papers, etc., so it was expensive. I found out later that the neighbor who had complained was a drinking buddy at a local bar with the husband of the lady magistrate.
I have gone to some real estate seminars and was never told about anyone like this. This example is only one of many but it's a true story.
The facts in this report is for study or entertainment only, and the author will not be responsible for the use or mis-use of any of the content.
super fast reply Ten Things the Real Estate Gurus Won't Tell You Part 2 - Code enforcement
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