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Housing Inspections
Responsibilities of Property owners and Occupants
EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
The Owner's Responsibility
- Every Owner of a building containing two (2) or more dwelling
units must maintain all lots and exterior premises, including
abutting sidewalks, gutters, and alleys, in a clean, safe and
sanitary condition.
The Occupant's Responsibility
- The Occupant of a single-unit building and an Occupant of a
unit with exclusive use of an exterior property area (i.e. a tenant
in a first floor apartment with sole use of the backyard yard)
must maintain all lots and exterior premises, including abutting
sidewalks, gutters, and alleys in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
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While all responsibilities are noted in the Property Maintenance
Code of Baltimore City here are several examples
- Keep grass, weeds or plant growth below 8 inches and remove
all noxious weeds.
- Prune or remove all trees and shrubbery if they are: 1) dangerous
to life and property; 2) create a fire or traffic hazard; 3)
encroach on adjacent property.
- Prohibit the accumulation of trash, debris, and bulk trash,
including the following discarded items:
Animal waste
Furniture
Equipment
Appliances
Construction Material
Similar Objects & Materials
Please keep in mind the following when discarding trash,
garbage, and debris:
- An Occupant must provide and maintain their own storage receptacles,
except those residing in a multi-family dwelling.
- Receptacles cannot be placed out for collection on a sidewalk
or along an alley earlier than the day of collection.
- Receptacles must be returned promptly to the premises after
collections
- If discarded or abandoned articles are too large for disposal
in the required receptacles, they must be transported to a landfill
or approved disposal site.
RATPROOFING AND PEST EXTERMINATION
The Owner's responsibility
- The Owner is responsible for ratproofing the building and
maintaining the ratproof condition. Ratproofing methods include:
1) preventing entrance by blocking passages with rat-resistant
material; and 2) paving basements and any other areas that are
in contact with the soil.
The Occupant's Responsibility - An Occupant of a single-unit
building is responsible for extermination of insects, rodents,
or other pests, other than wood destroying insects.
- An Occupant of a multiple-family dwelling is responsible for
extermination if the Occupant's unit is the only one affected.
INTERIOR MAINTENANCE
The Owner's Responsibility
- The Owner must maintain shared, common or public areas within
each building that contains more than one unit. However, the
Owner is responsible for repairing or replacing defective and
damaged items in all the units.
The Occupant's Responsibility
- The Occupant must keep in a clean and sanitary condition their
unit and any other of areas that they occupy or control. Keep
in mind that the Owner may hold an Occupant accountable for
damaging interior property due to negligence.Areas for Interior
Maintenance
While all responsibilities are noted in the Property Maintenance
Code of Baltimore City here are several areas for maintenance
of interior areas:
- Floors, Furniture, Countertops and similar surfaces
must be clean and free of trash, garbage, and debris, including
human and animal waste and any other insanitary matter or cause
of nuisance.
- Walls, Ceilings, Windows, and Doorways must be clean
and free of dirt, grease, soot and any other insanitary matter
or cause or nuisance.
- Plumbing fixtures must be kept clean and free from
any foreign object or material that could obstruct a fixture
or a line connected to a fixture.
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