Franconia Township Commissioners have tabled a proposed Use and Occupancy inspection program after receiving many questions and comments about the enabling ordinance from residents and the Suburban Realtors Alliance, an industry and consumer advocacy group of which I am a Board member. Township commissioners were scheduled to consider passage of the comprehensive ordinance during a Nov. 15 meeting. The draft ordinance contained a minimum 26 point inspection checklist as well as a requirement that all home additions conform to zoning regulations and building codes. The ordinance would also establish a $200.00 fee for the inspection process, which would more than double the Use and Occupancy fee found in neighboring communities.
I commend the Commissioners for tabling this ordinance. While I have no doubt they believed the ordinance serve a good purpose, the proposed ordinance was fraught with unintended consequences. Sellers could have faced very costly repairs, especially if their home was built prior to 1978 and would, as a result, be subject to EPA’s new rules and regulations governing repairs to older homes that add even more expense to repairs. I will keep you posted on further developments on this important matter.
Hopefully with the involvement of SRA and other area Realtors this will not happen. A $200 fee is a rather large amount to add to the sellers additional costs.
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