No Renovation, No Need To Comply With Current Code

By Sophie Whorf

Miami University journalism student

Over spring break, an off-campus residence home to seven Miami University students burned to the ground. It was the first Oxford rental property fire since a fraternity house fire in May 2013.

The scorched property was managed by Park Place Real Estate Management, which manages 312 of the 4,573 approved rental properties in Oxford. It was last inspected by the city of Oxford and a Park Place agent almost a year ago on May 25, 2016.

On the most recent report, "smoke detectors" was marked as a violation during the inspection. However, the city inspector signed off that the home passed inspection and left the space for a "scheduled reinspection" date blank on the document.

Oxford Code Official Lisa Colwell says that checking fire safety measures is the most important part of rental property inspections.

"The absolute most common problem we see is smoke detectors that need batteries, as well as the misuse of extension cords," Colwell says. "[Extension cords] are not supposed to be used as permanent wiring, especially in these off-campus houses that are very old."

Community Development Director Jung-Han Chen says that many houses in Oxford’s Mile Square were built during the 1920s, 30s and 40s and have not been "renovated" since. These properties do not comply with the current Ohio building code, but rather the code at the time of the building construction.

"If a [rental property] required two outlets in each room in 1940, but then each student brings their laptop, stereo and all this other stuff, then it becomes a problem of the availability of outlets," Colwell says. "That can cause a fire or a circuit break."

Oxford rental properties must conform to the current code when they are renovated. According to Chen, a construction project is deemed a renovation if a building permit is required. A building permit is merited when there is a "structure operation," which includes electric, heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.

"When you’re building a wall [in a property], then you need to provide a new electrical outlet. That’s a rule in the current code," said Chen. "If you’re just painting or changing a light fixture, that does not require you to be up to date [with current code]."

However old the electrical work in the house becomes, the decision to renovate or not to renovate is up to the property owner.

John Detherage, the chief of the Oxford Fire Department, says that some Oxford rental property owners choose not to renovate homes because they are concerned that, if required to comply with the current code, they will be forced to reduce the number of tenants.

Chen says that conversely, some property owners renovate to attract tenants.

"The owner has to think about how to be competitive," Chen says.

Photo: Oxford's Mile Square includes the original boundaries of the town. It is now home to a number of rental properties targeted to Miami University students.