My home state of Oregon recently passed requirements stating that carbon monoxide detectors are required in buildings that either:
- Has an attached garage, OR
- Has a fuel burning appliances (furnace, etc)
California and many other states have also passed similar regulation requiring property owners (landlords) to install these devices. Twenty-five states currently require carbon monoxide detectors, and the trend is spreading quickly. In some cases the deadlines have already passed on states which have already approved legislation requiring detectors.
Do you own property, or are you managing someone's property, within the United States and have you already installed carbon monoxide devices according to your local regulation? If you've answered NO, you could be in serious legal jeopardy. Check out the following list of states and their regulations to see if your state has these requriements. If so, take care of it right away.
Carbon Monoxide State Statutes
Don't stop there though. Its not enough to just install it. What if the tenant disconnects or damages it. What if it's removed and they claim it was never there and an accident occurred. It's best not to be in he said / she said situations when it comes to life threatening situations that carbon monoxide poisoning can cause. If you install it yourself, take a picture of the unit installed and scan the receipt and store both in your rental software, or in a safe location. If you hired it out, store the receipt and ensure the receipt states the address and work done, specifically stating that it was a CO2 detector being installed.
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Nathan is a member of Rentec Direct who provides property management software, tenant ach payment processing, and tenant credit and criminal reports for property managers and landlords.
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