Basement Bedrooms, Legal / Safe ?



Posted: Monday, May 29, 2006

by
Accurate Inspections, Inc

If your basement bedroom lacks the required and necessary fire egress stop using it, in order to avoid being trapped in the event of a fire or emergency.

I have heard many people tell me they only use the basement as a bedroom once in a while. It is no safer than drinking and driving if you only do it once in a while. If there is ever a fire or carbon monoxide leak or gas leak and you happen to be in the basement the frequency the hazard occurs will not be the problem, the problem can be it only happens once in your now shortened life.

Use of a basement as a bedroom may be convenient but must be immediately discontinued in order to cure a potentially hazardous condition. Prior to expiration of your inspection contingency, contact both the municipal building and fire departments to obtain written documentation as to the legal and allowable use for the basement.

Michael Del Greco is President of Accurate Inspections, Inc. A New Jersey home inspection firm. He has performed thousands of home inspections in New Jersey since 1993. He has taught the New Jersey Home Inspector Licensing classes and New Jersey Home Inspector CEU classes as well as participated in developing questions for the National Home Inspector Exam. Michael's home inspector resume may be viewed at http://www.mdelgreco.com

Visit http://home-inspector.NewJerseyHomeInspection.com for a list of home inspectors in New Jersey.

This article may be freely reproduced if it is not altered and the above two lines are reproduced with active hot links.

This Article has been viewed 2,022 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.