You Ask: Are Rental Properties Inspected?

If you have  about a problem in Albany, send it in with "You Ask" in the subject line, and we'll do our best to dig up an answer. If your question , you'll receive a gift from Albany Patch. Your name will not be shared without permission.

Albany is home to a variety of rental properties, from the large apartment complexes near the freeway to single family houses.

This led one Albany Patch reader to ask if the city regularly inspects rental units for building code violations, fire safety, or other hazardous conditions. (The reader also asked who provides help with tenant-landlord issues, which we'll address in the future.) 

As for safety inspections, the answer is yes, no, and it depends.

Building code compliance; complaint driven 

When it comes to building codes (think wiring, plumbing, structural integrity), the city doesn’t do any routine or regular rental inspections, but investigates complaints, said Jeff Bond, Community Development Director.

Rentals, and all properties, are supposed to be built and maintained to the local and state codes.

Concerns, which can come from tenants, observers, or anyone, should be reported to the city’s planning division at 510-528-5760 or com-dev@albanyca.org.

Fire safety, another matter

Rental properties of three or more units, however, are subject to annual fire inspections, under state law.

City fire inspectors check for everything from fire extinguishers to sprinkler systems, as well as flammable storage and escape route clearance. Wiring is also on the list.

See the Fire Department’s inspection checklist attached to the right as a PDF.

These inspections cover rental complex public areas only, and not internal apartments, as per law, said Brian Crudo,  battalion chief and fire marshal over disaster preparedness.

 “We look at common areas, such as foyers and hallways. We don’t go into personal units unless we’re requested to, or by ordinance.”

The city charges property owners for the inspection. “The fees go into the fire department budget,” Crudo said.

What's required inside apartments 

Three fire safety regulations can trigger inspections of individual apartments.

• Albany’s which applies to some homes and rental properties of three or more units

• The state’s new carbon monoxide detector law, which applies to most homes, and will apply to rental complexes starting next year

• The city’s new rental unit hallway door ordinance (No. 2011-05; attached as a PDF)

The Fire Department works with property owners on understanding and complying with the laws, using a mixture of the honesty system and enforcement, Crudo said. Single home rentals, for example, aren't routinely inspected, but tenants or landlords can ask for Fire Department checks. 

Enforcement begins on new door ordinance

The city's new self-closing hallway door ordinance, adopted by the City Council after last year’s fire that killed an elderly woman, requires that all apartment doors opening to a hallway shut automatically.

“They have to close and latch to contain the fire and keep it from spreading to other units,” Crudo said. Fire inspectors believe an open hallway door contributed to the spread of the Solano Avenue fire, he said. 

Approved in , door ordinance enforcement started last week, Crudo said.

See the city’s letter alerting rental property owners about the ordinance attached to the right as a PDF.

The first building inspected, the 17-unit 700 Calhoun St., passed with flying colors, said Crudo. “Every one was perfect.”

If you have  about a problem in Albany, send it in with "You Ask" in the subject line, and we'll do our best to dig up an answer. If your question , you'll receive a gift from Albany Patch. Your name will not be shared without permission.

If there's something in this article you think , or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at albany@patch.com.