I think I am going to die when the house falls over!

[monicaann]

Renting a 2 story house. 1st story, dirt floor basement of sorts, had a garage door at one point in the front row building but walled off now. There is one beam running down the middle with 4 supporting posts and there are no supporting interior walls other then the exterior walls, one brace in the middle only, no cement foundation or floor or cement pad under posts. The only post r under the one beam. The 2nd floor is the dwelling with two bedrooms, kitchen dining room and living room with a bathroom. The structure of the building is leaning and pulling away from the right side as you can see the gap were there was none and the nails in siding is popping out. The house shakes when a large truck drives by or the washer is on spin. The entire home feels very unsafe so I called the local build code enforcement and the owner came with the code inspector, owner made me unplug all the lights prior to inspectors arrival at home, so it was dark in basement. I tried to fight it but real estate agent said to do what the owner said. The inspector brought no flash light or even a clip board and paperwork or electrical tester and just did a walk thru a dark basement. I worry ever time I go to sleep if I die when this house falls over let it be fast and please don't let my family get hurt. I don't know what to do. The house feels wobbly and I am at a loss with code enforcement. Enforcement said they had to have owner on sight during inspection. Seems like the inspector was so jolly to be inspecting all the real estates homes in the city and did not to inspect my rental as my home can't be up to code. HELP ME PLEASE!

 

[ICE]

The house shakes when a large truck drives by or the washer is on spin.

You should have done a load of laundry while the inspector was there. Perhaps put a bowling ball in the washer... or maybe not as that could bring the building down.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Are you a renter? I am not a lawyer and I'm certainly not up to speed on Washington state laws, but I can say that I would not rely on a real estate agent for legal advice. Typically, in a rental situation, as long as you pay your rent YOU are in control of the premises, and even the owner/landlord can't enter without your permission (except in the event of a bona fide emergency). I question why the owner had to be there, and I really REALLY question why you had to unplug all the lights in the basement.

All that said, a code inspector is a code inspector, not a structural engineer. I don't know if you can afford it, but IMHO what you really need is to have a licensed structural engineer look at the building and, if he/she thinks it's unsafe, write up a formal report stating why.

 

[jar546]

Renting a 2 story house. 1st story, dirt floor basement of sorts, had a garage door at one point in the front row building but walled off now. There is one beam running down the middle with 4 supporting posts and there are no supporting interior walls other then the exterior walls, one brace in the middle only, no cement foundation or floor or cement pad under posts. The only post r under the one beam. The 2nd floor is the dwelling with two bedrooms, kitchen dining room and living room with a bathroom. The structure of the building is leaning and pulling away from the right side as you can see the gap were there was none and the nails in siding is popping out. The house shakes when a large truck drives by or the washer is on spin. The entire home feels very unsafe so I called the local build code enforcement and the owner came with the code inspector, owner made me unplug all the lights prior to inspectors arrival at home, so it was dark in basement. I tried to fight it but real estate agent said to do what the owner said. The inspector brought no flash light or even a clip board and paperwork or electrical tester and just did a walk thru a dark basement. I worry ever time I go to sleep if I die when this house falls over let it be fast and please don't let my family get hurt. I don't know what to do. The house feels wobbly and I am at a loss with code enforcement. Enforcement said they had to have owner on sight during inspection. Seems like the inspector was so jolly to be inspecting all the real estates homes in the city and did not to inspect my rental as my home can't be up to code. HELP ME PLEASE!

Take photographs and video and email them directly to the building official for the municipality you live in and use that email as an official complaint to the BO letting her/him know that they are officially notified which is public record.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

Seems like the inspector was so jolly to be inspecting all the real estates homes in the city and did not to inspect my rental as my home can't be up to code. HELP ME PLEASE!

After reading your post again, I had another thought. What did you mean by the comment about the inspector inspecting all the real estate homes in the city? Building inspectors don't run around inspecting existing, occupied homes. We inspect only if there is a building permit to do some work, or if there is a valid complaint. By "valid" I mean the complaint can't be anonymous, and it can't be from someone who has ne legal standing to complain.

And why was a real estate agent involved?

Who came to inspect, someone from the city's building department, or a real estate home inspector?

 

[ICE]

Some municipalities inspect rental housing on a rotational basis. The inspection is related to safety and health issues. I doubt any inspector would be able to red tag a building that has not been altered unless there is glaring deficiencies due to a lack of maintenance or simply age. Most buildings were not meant to last forever.

 

[monicaann]

Take photographs and video and email them directly to the building official for the municipality you live in and use that email as an official complaint to the BO letting her/him know that they are officially notified which is public record.

That is a really good idea. Thank you so much for taking the time to write a comment. This is exactly what I will do.