What are Short Term Rental Property Inspections? 

Short Term Rental Property Inspections

Short Term Rentals (STR) are incredibly popular as you know. A short term rental is defined as a residential unit that is rented for a term of thirty (30) or fewer consecutive nights. In the more recent years, cities throughout Orange County and Southern California are now requiring Short Term Rental owners to have a Certified Home Inspector Perform a short term rental property inspection.

A short term rental home inspection is a certification that is required to be submitted to confirm life/safety requirements.

Who should get a Short Term Property Inspection?

If you currently rent your property on third party sites such as AirBNB or you rent your home out privately for under 30 days at a time & the city where the STR is based out of requires an STR Home Inspection.  Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach both REQUIRE a short term rental home inspection in order to get a permit!

How much is a Short Term Rental Inspection?

The cost of Short Term Rental Property Inspections vary from city to city. Give us a call to get a price on your AirBNB or short term rental property at 949-396-9595.

Why Use Coastal Property Inspections for your Huntington Beach short term rental home inspection?

Coastal Property Inspections has handled many Huntington Beach Short Term Rental Property Inspections.  We will have a discussion over the phone about your property and help you to understand what you need to do to prepare for the STR inspection.  There is a checklist.  We will go through it, discuss it, and have you prepare for our inspection so all we have to do is inspect, check off the item and sign!  Other inspectors want to book and inspect and go.  We help you prepare and actually spend time with you.

What does a short term rental inspection consist of?

A short term rental property inspection will consist of checking for Electrical, Heating and Air Conditioning Safety, Fire Sprinklers, Evacuation Routes, Fire Extinguishers, Hazardous Conditions, Water Heating, Smoke Alarms, Window Functions, carbon monoxide sensors and much more.

Does my city require a short term rental inspection?

Your city may or may not legally require a Short term rental Home Inspection, however it’s highly recommended to ensure the safety of your tenants. As of now, here is a list of the cities we know require Short Term Rental Inspections: Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach. Here is the exact form the City Huntington Beach will require a certified home inspector to complete.

What happens if my city requires an inspection for my short term rental property, and I don’t comply? 

If a complaint is made, cities typically visit the property to inspect the complaint with in a few hours of receiving the complaint. We have seen fines as high as $1,000 a day for each violation of any provision. If 3 violations are against the city’s guidelines for STR Regulations, the city may pull your Short Term Rental Permit.

If you have a short term rental property or AirBnB that needs to have a property inspection, give us a call!  949-396-9595 or 949-401-8996 (office)  We will walk you through the requirements and prepare you for the inspection so you can pass the first time around!

Thank you for your consideration!  Coastal Property Inspections

Condensation in Double-Paned Windows

by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Kenton Shepard

Condensation is the accumulation of liquid water on relatively cold surfaces.

Almost all air contains water vapor, the gas phase of water composed of tiny water droplets. The molecules in warm air are far apart from one another and allow the containment of a relatively large quantity of water vapor. As air cools, its molecules get closer together and squeeze the tiny vapor droplets closer together, as well. A critical temperature, known as the dew point, exists where these water droplets will be forced so close together that they merge into visible liquid in a process called condensation.

Double-pane windows have a layer of gas (usually argon or air) trapped between two panes of glass that acts as insulation to reduce heat loss through the window. Other types of gas used in this space have various effects on heat gain or loss through the window. Some windows also have a thin film installed between panes that separates the space between the panes into two spaces, further reducing heat loss and heat gain through the window. If multiple-pane windows appear misty or foggy, it means that the seal protecting the window assembly has failed.

Silica Desiccant

A desiccant is an absorbent material designed to maintain dryness in the space it protects. In a double-paned window, silica pellets inside the aluminum perimeter strip absorb moisture from any incoming air that enters the space between the panes. If not for the silica desiccant, any moisture in the space between the panes would condense on the glass as the glass cools below the dew point temperature.

Silica gel has an immense surface area, approximately 7,200 square feet per gram, which allows it to absorb large amounts of water vapor. As the sealant protecting this space fails over time, increasing amounts of moisture-containing air will enter the space between the panes, and the silica pellets will eventually become saturated and will no longer be able to prevent condensation from forming. A double-paned window that appears foggy or that has visible condensation has failed and needs to be repaired or replaced.

Why Double-Paned Windows Fail:  Solar (Thermal) Pumping

Although double-paned windows appear to be stable, they actually experience a daily cycle of expansion and contraction caused by thermal pumping. Sunlight heats the airspace between the panes and causes the gas there to heat up and expand, pressurizing the space between the panes. At night, the window cools and the space between the panes contracts. This motion acts like the bellows of a forge and is called thermal pumping.

Over time, the constant pressure fluctuations caused by thermal pumping will stress the seal. Eventually, the seal will develop small fractures that will slowly grow in size, allowing increasing amounts of infiltration and exfiltration of air from the space between the panes.

Failure Factors

Windows on the sunny side of a home will experience larger temperature swings, resulting in greater amounts of thermal pumping, seal stress and failure rates.

Vinyl window frames have a higher coefficient of expansion resulting in greater long-term stress on the double-pane assembly, and a higher failure rate. Windows also experience batch failure, which describes production runs of windows, especially vinyl windows, that are defective, meaning that the pane assemblies have been manufactured with seals that have small defects that will cause the window to fail prematurely.

The Nature of Damage

If it’s allowed to continue, window condensation will inevitably lead to irreversible physical window damage. This damage can appear in the following two ways:

• river bedding.  Condensed vapor between the glass panes will form droplets that run down the length of the window. Water that descends in this fashion has the tendency to follow narrow paths and carve grooves into the glass surface. These grooves are formed in a process similar to canyon formation.
• silica haze.  Once the silica gel has been saturated, it will be eroded by passing air currents and accumulate as white “snowflakes” on the window surface. It is believed that if this damage is present, the window must be replaced.

Detecting Failure

Condensation is not always visible. If the failure is recent, a failed window may not be obvious, since condensation doesn’t usually form until the window is heated by direct sunlight. Windows in the shade may show no evidence of failure, so inspectors should disclaim responsibility for discovering failed double-paned windows.

Infrared Thermal Imaging as a Detection Tool

Under the right conditions, it’s possible to use an infrared (IR) camera to detect failed windows. IR cameras are designed to record differences in temperature. 

InterNACHI provides a thermal imaging course that includes information on using IR cameras for this purpose, and has a message board forum devoted to IR.

Recommendations for Failed Windows

According to industry experts, the glazing assembly can be replaced  approximately 75% of the time.  Occasionally, the sashes must be replaced, and only about 5% of those cases require that the entire window be replaced.

Inspectors should be aware that there are companies that claim to be able to repair misty windows through a process known as “defogging.”

This repair method proceeds in the following order:

1. A hole is drilled into the window, usually from the outside, and a cleaning solution is sprayed into the air chamber.
2. The solution and any other moisture are sucked out through a vacuum.
3. A defogger device is permanently inserted into the hole that will allow the release of moisture during thermal pumping.

Inspectors should know that there is currently a debate as to whether this process is a suitable repair for windows that have failed, or if it merely removes the symptom of this failure. Condensation appears between double-paned windows when the window is compromised, and removal of this water will not fix the seal itself. A window “repaired” in this manner, although absent of condensation, might not provide any additional insulation. This method is still fairly new and opinions about its effectiveness range widely. Regardless, “defogging” certainly allows for cosmetic improvement, which is of some value to homeowners. It may also reduce the potential for damage caused by condensation in the form of mold or rot.  Some skepticism exists about the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of this method of repair.

In summary, condensation in double-paned windows indicates that the glazing assembly has failed and needs repair or replacement. Visible condensation can damage glazing and is the main indication of sealant failure

Coastal Property Inspections
Chris Knappett
InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector
Cell:  949-396-9595

 

News for California Home Inspectors: California Energy Commission Adopts Solar PV Requirements for New Construction in 2020
by Nick Gromicko, CMI® and Kate Tarasenko

As goes California, so goes the rest of the country. The state has become the first in the nation to require the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on new single-family homes, starting in 2020. This effort will reduce energy use in new homes by half, compared to new homes without solar features.

The California Energy Commission voted unanimously on May 9, 2018, to add the solar requirement to the state’s building regulations, the details of which will be rolled out sometime in 2019, although the process has already begun in earnest. This step helps address the increasingly urgent problem of climate change and global warming.

A headline in USA Today’s May 17, 2018, edition blared: “Earth just had its 400th straight warmer-than-average month, thanks to global warming.” The crisis is no longer up for debate, so leaders in the U.S. and around the world are scrambling to institute workable solutions.

According to the Energy Commission’s press release, California Building Industry Association CEO and President Dan Dunmoyer said, “With this adoption, the California Energy Commission has struck a fair balance between reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously limiting increased construction costs.”

While the short-term cost of these PV installations may add around $40 per month to the average 30-year mortgage, the energy savings for lighting, heating and cooling is estimated to be around $80 per month. Couple that with the overall goal of reducing harmful carbon emissions and harnessing the renewable energy of the Sun, and it’s a clear win for Californians.

InterNACHI® spoke with Amber Beck, Public Information Officer for the California Energy Commission. We asked her how these new solar requirements and energy regulations will affect the building trades.

Ms. Beck said, “Builders, contractors and architects will need to coordinate throughout the process to build a new home that incorporates solar PV. A building inspector will need to verify that the solar PV installation meets all code requirements before signing the Certificate of Occupancy.”

She continued, “Inspectors in areas where builders are already constructing new homes with solar systems should already be familiar with these types of inspections. As with every code cycle,” she said, “the Energy Commission will create training materials and hold webinars.”

Some excellent resources for inspectors and builders alike are the Commission’s Online Resource Center, and the 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, which provide periodic updates.

Ms. Beck also encourages people to read their quarterly Blueprint Newsletter. It’s “aimed at giving guidance to building inspectors and builders. These tools will help home inspectors once the standards take effect in 2020,” she said.

Professionals are also invited to join their lists to be notified of classes and new training materials.

InterNACHI’s Education Department is already hard at work developing online and video courses related to inspecting solar PV panels. We are also coordinating directly with the California Energy Commission to create training materials, classes and webinars to explain the new construction solar requirements. Stay tuned! www.NACHI.org for future announcements on new construction solar requirements and more.

Posted By Coastal Property Inspections in Orange County
contact us at 949-401-8996