Anyone who bought a home in Massachusetts since the start of the coronavirus pandemic now faces a countdown clock to get their homes’ smoke and carbon monoxide detectors inspected.
Since 2016, all homes sales in Massachusetts cannot close until the local fire department inspects its smoke detectors and, if it has a fossil fuel-burning heating system, stove, dryer or fireplace, its carbon monoxide detectors and confirms they’re in working order.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Massachusetts, many fire departments refused to conduct these inspections out of fear their personnel might catch the disease or unwittingly infect homeowners or real estate agents. To keep sales moving, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association lobbied the Gov. Charlie Baker to suspend the rule during the state of emergency. Baker issued an emergency order to that effect March 10, stipulating that the homebuyer would be responsible for ensuring the inspections occurred within 90 days of the end of Massachusetts’ state of emergency or the rescinding of the order.
Baker rescinded that order June 26, and issued a new one stating that the 90-day countdown begins today, July 10. Going forward, even if a seller wants to delay the smoke detector inspection for fear of COVID-19, the closing must also be delayed.
MMBA Executive Director Debbie Sousa told Banker & Tradesman in an email that 92 percent of the state’s fire departments have resumed inspections or planned to do so by today, and that the organization would monitory the situation and work closely with the state Fire Marshal’s office to make sure the remaining departments do so, as well.
Baker’s office did not return a request for comment but his June 26 order cited the improving public health situation in Massachusetts as a key reason for enacting the change.
According to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman, 16,138 condominiums and single-family homes were sold in Massachusetts in March, April and May, the most recent month for which data is available.
