How do I get my apartment up to code?
I am renting a condo and it is not up to Virginia building code. I did not know the code before I moved in. The condo does not have a deadbolt lock and does not have a bar on the sliding glass door. Virginia building code says there has to be a deadbolt lock on the door. My landlord refuses to fix it, can I complain to the condo association? They charge a move in fee and I have to pay pet fees, etc. to them, but they didn’t make sure the condo was up to code! The handbook for the condo association says that it is the owner’s responsibility to maintain locks. What can I do?
My neighbor who lives in the building next door told me about the building code. Here is the section – it is from the State of Virginia website in the Landlord and Tenant Act (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+coh+55-248.13:1+402573).
Here is the url for the code of the County of Fairfax where I live: http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=10051&sid=46. It says that for multi-family dwellings constructed before 1976, "(1) Any landlord who rents five (5) or more dwelling units in any one (1) building shall upon the written request of the tenant install a deadbolt lock with not less than five-eighths-inch ( 5/8") throw case-hardened steel inserts on all exterior swinging doors."
Dwellings constructed after 1976 must conform with the Uniform Statewide Building Code for new multifamily construction.
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