To keep the story short a friend was told during a pest inspection that their apartment was a fire hazard due to the amount of furniture they have in their apartment.
Personally I don’t see it. It is a smaller apartment and they have two shelves in their bedroom that do make it feel a little small when combined with their queen bed but there’s still a little over three feet of space around the bed. Their partner and them each have a desk in their living room along with a couch, a tool chest, coffee table, and TV stand.
It’s something I’ve never heard of and seems very arbitrary for the landlords to call out. I tried finding images online of fire hazard apartments but it was all images of daisy chained extension cords and hoarders.
Ideally I’d like to help them relax and ensure them it’s not something they can get evicted over.
Call the local fire department non-emergency number and ask if they can schedule a visit to inspect your fire alarms and provide recommendations on the situation. The fire department is genuinely interested in your safety, because it’s also important for their safety so they don’t have to come rescue you. If anything is a fire hazard, the professionals can explain why and explain how to fix it. But they’ll probably say “WTF” because the landlord is most likely just being a fuckface, as landlords do. Assuming the latter, ask them if you get the “WTF” in writing so you can wave it in the landlord’s face when you tell them to fuck off and die.
I actually forgot to add this. A few weeks later while they were out of their unit a group that manages their fire suppression system came by as part of routine inspection of the building and they didn’t mention anything. I don’t know if they would normally say something but I feel like if it was bad enough they probably should have.
Might want to be careful with that. If it’s bad enough the fire marshal will get involved with enforcement.
I’ve never heard of the quantity of furniture being a fire hazard unless it impeeds the ability to exit during a fire. Is it made out of dry tinder and balloons of gasoline?
I mean they have a few boardgames under their coffee table.
Ideally I’d like to help them relax and ensure them it’s not something they can get evicted over.
it is something they can get evicted over- or potentially. That very much is determined by lease they signed and the building codes where you’re at.
And yes, it is fairly subjective. Generally speaking, clear access to the points of egress is a must- this includes bedroom windows. (though it’s normal to push a bed up against them.) You’d also probably want to consider getting EMS/Fire in there for a medical emergency (these kinds of building codes are usually lumped in with fire code, in large part because it’s common for firemen to respond to medicals as well.) They’ll likely be very grumbly if they can’t at least bring in the board (the rigid board they use to get people onto the wheeled EMS cart/bed.) to get them on. this means enough space for 2-3 “well-marbled beefcakes” to stand around a guy and the board (which is about the size of a guy.)
it is something they can get evicted over- or potentially. That very much is determined by lease they signed and the building codes where you’re at.
I imagine the lease is probably intentionally ambiguous about that.
well… yeah. In large part because landlords are usually assholes. but also, because if you get specific… then people just don’t do those, while still causing problems. it’s amazing how legalistic people can try to be. “It says moving vans are not allowed to block the entrance door. That is a moving TRUCK”
fire hazard die to the amount of furniture
Never heard such a bull*
Do not sign anything.
Let them talk, do your laughing later.
