I have seen many questions about housing. Smoke detectors are required in all Mpls housing (owner occupied too). Ordinance 244.915 outlines the requirements. Look out Dyna. :)
As a landlord, I inspect every unit twice per year. I find many of the smoke detectors are disabled. The battery is removed and the electrical connections are unplugged. I suspect this is due to false alarms, but am unsure. I have unplugged smoke detectors at my own home when dinner goes awry. But, I always hook them back up when the air clears. Do some folk just not understand the need/value? Two exits are required in rental property (I could not find the specific code). You should remember that two exits do NOT mean two doorways. A window can be one of the (emergency) exits if it is large enough. Even upper level units can claim a window as a second exit if there is a ladder, stairway or other reasonable means to descend. There were some claims that 20 residents are living in one housing unit and the landlord is making a bundle. It is violation of ordinance 546.50 to have more than 4 unrelated individuals living in a single housing unit. If such a thing exists, please call the inspectors. I believe this violation is aggressively investigated. My understanding is that few over-occupancy violations are turned in. I am not sure if this is because a) it doesn't happen often, b) the residents/neighbors don't know the law or c) the residents don't mind the crowded conditions as it keeps their housing costs down. One writer said that occupants fear evictions/terminations and refuse to turn in their landlords for code violations. A few years ago, these claims were believable. But, the world has changed and tenants now have the upper hand. Renting an affordable apartment is EASY. If your landlord is not treating you well, you can likely find a nicer place for less money. If you want to challenge me, check out the Sunday classifieds first. Finally, before we condemn the Eischens (I don't know them) or get on CM Zerby's bandwagon, lets wait and see what the investigation results are. I am puzzled as to why the ATF was there. I hope this post is useful. Regards, Bill Cullen Whittier Landlord President, St. Paul Association of Responsible Landlords (SPARL) P.S. Mpls city ordinances can be surfed at http://livepublish.municode.com/13/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-hit-j.htm&2 .0 REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
