If your building department is investigated by the grand jury, you have big problems. Oakland, California’s building services department was the subject of a a grand jury report […]
Building Codes / Code Enforcement / Court cases / property maintenance
Posted on:
Contempt of court
The creator of Phonehenge, a collection of oddball structures I’ve previously written about, has been sent to jail for disobeying a court order to demolish the buildings which […]
Building Codes / Court cases
Posted on:
The dream house from hell
I’m sure that many building inspectors don’t give themselves enough credit for the important job that they do, making sure that structures meet the standards of the building […]
Code Enforcement / Foreclosure / property maintenance
Posted on:
Vacant properties and the downward spiral
The Chicago Tribune has a very good article about how vacant properties (due to the foreclosure crisis) are decimating poor communities because of the increase in crime. This […]
Building Codes / Code Enforcement
Posted on:
Carports built without permits
Building officials are constantly trying to get people to get permits for structures built without them. This becomes tricky when the construction occurred decades ago. In Austin recently […]
Building Codes
Posted on:
Unlicensed contractor can’t sue homeowner for breach of contract
What if an unlicensed contractor does work and then the homeowner decides not to pay the entire bill? How do the courts treat such a situation? If you’re […]
Code Enforcement / Foreclosure / Ordinances / property maintenance
Posted on:
No end in sight for foreclosures and dropping home prices
Thirteen percent of U.S. homes are now vacant according to a new report in the Huffington Post. Prices are dropping but people who have the money to buy […]
Code Enforcement / Foreclosure / Ordinances / Politics / Politics and building codes / property maintenance
Posted on:
Inspectors support bill holding lenders responsible
There’s a bill pending in Illinois which would allow local governments to pass ordinances that would make lenders responsible for the upkeep of vacant properties in foreclosure. Needless […]
Building Codes / Code Enforcement / property maintenance
Posted on:
Problem properties with expired permits
Building officials are dealing with structures that have not been completed within a reasonable amount of time. Many of these situations arise because of the financial problems of […]
Building Codes / Code Enforcement / Fire Prevention / Foreclosure / Law Enforcement and Codes / property maintenance / training
Posted on:
Reflections on Midwest tour
I recently completed a 2 month period of travel all over the Midwest doing trainings for building officials, fire inspectors, property maintenance and housing inspectors and law enforcement […]