Today I have a scheduled Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) inspection with the City of Rochester on my two-family home in the City.

As I was thinking about this appointment, a thought came to me: “Why not require all homes to have regular C of O inspections?”

The main focus of the C of O inspections is for the City Inspector to look for areas that are unsafe for the tenants in rental properties.  They will be looking for handrails on stairs, broken stairs, adequate lighting, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, broken windows, storm windows, debris, and the list goes on.

Why wouldn’t this be a good thing for all homes, both single-family and rental properties?  I can’t tell you how many homes I have been in while showing homes that are for sale that have unsafe conditions existing there.  And there is no C of O required since it was built and inspected.

So, what’s your opinion on this?  Inspection or no?