Township permit for short term AirBnb hosts

Regulations/Tax Issues
6

I’m guessing that the inspectors won’t be all that stringent. After all, it appears they have not given you guidelines.

It just seems to me that if you’re going to do this, to do it well and to have an overall fire prevention plan, that would also include (whether rules or guidance somewhere):

  1. no open flames in home (rule),
  2. no grills, fire pits, etc. within x feet of anything combustible (‘x’ often being at least six feet (and look overhead for trees or anything combustible there).
  3. fire extinguishers prominently placed,
  4. no smoking in home (rule),
  5. nothing combustible within 3’ of cooktop (think drapery but also newspapers, things people put down there, decorations),
  6. we have a flashlight in every bedroom, in the bedroom table (which table? The RIGHT table),
  7. guidance in your home manual ( we suggest as a best practice to always bring out a lid or baking sheet when you cook to snuff out flames when cooking, not to leave cooktop unattended (these are not ‘rules’ but shared best practices).

We test smoke alarm system with every turnover (required by our insurer Proper).

For other safety tips look here for a comprehensive checklist: Is Your Property Safe? Take the Challenge -- A 75-Point Safety Checklist

One thing we’ve found useful though perhaps not practical for everyone (I live below the unit) is that about two hours after people have checked in I purposely trigger the fire alarm, which is really startlingly loud. [Our smoke detectors are interlinked, so that if any alarm is triggered anywhere in the property, upstairs or downstairs, all alarms go off, with flashing lights and verbal warnings.]

Then I show up at the front door (I have a hard hat on, a flashlight and reflective vest, plus a pea-less whistle that further gets their attention) and ask them if they know what to do. Most don’t.

I explain it’s just a fire drill (like on a cruise ship; this is like rule #23 in our rules, but guests just don’t read!). I then go through the checklist, which is IN THE HOUSE MANUAL, that I tell them to read FIRST THING (few do).

We SHOW them the alternate fire evacuation plans, a suggested meeting point in front of the house, and alternative meeting points if the front of the house is blocked, if the nearby school has been bombed or otherwise unavailable, etc. [Sometimes the children cry, but they need to be prepared.]. I explain best practices on preventing fires. All this just takes just 45 minutes or so.

I’m of course kidding with all this about the fire drill.

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