no fire escape, no sprinklers-- is this legal?
i’m a renter in a 2-family building and am worried about the fact that 3 people and I occupy the top, 2nd floor in a building that doesn’t have a fire escape, sprinklers, only 1 egress, and the roof hatch is nailed closed. i tried searching for this info on google and even here, under…
i’m a renter in a 2-family building and am worried about the fact that 3 people and I occupy the top, 2nd floor in a building that doesn’t have a fire escape, sprinklers, only 1 egress, and the roof hatch is nailed closed. i tried searching for this info on google and even here, under building code, but i can’t seem to find whether this is legal or not. any insight would be appreciated!
i should mention that everytime i mention this to the landlord and the management company, they’re dismissive about it, saying that it’s not required in 2 family dwellings.
So are we expected to just jump out the windows, if there’s a fire?
A two family house is now called a building? Geese what real estate agents won’t do to try to promote a home sale. The fire department has no problem reaching your second floor in case of a fire. Please make sure you have a good smoke detector in your apartment. Don’t worry the United Nations building does not have fire sprinklers iether.
OP, nailing shut the roof hatch is a 311 violation.
Dean, a required roof hatch (or stairs) on a flat roof is not a means of egress. The code has the provision for roof access with the intention of allowing firefighters up on a roof if that’s necessary.
Send me an email with your list of questions and I’ll see what I can do about getting back to you on them.
lol I only just bought the first two 8 weeks ago (haven’t even finished construction yet or moved in yet), just wondering if this is even possible in order to plan for the next few years OR should we be planning on selling out and moving into a different location.
Also to clarify it’s not a rooftop hatch, it’s a set of stairs that just lead to the roof, it’s a joke to wonder where people are supposed to go to from there the building next door is at least 10ft higher with no real way to get there).
If someone is prepared to send me a quote for 1 hours work and provide a guarenteed definative answer about what is and isn’t possible then please get in contact to discuss.
Cheers,
Dean
You can never close off the rooftop hatch. If you’re buying all the apartments you claim, it’s hard to understand why you don’t spring for someone licensed and qualified to answer your questions.
I currently own the top 2 apartments of a 4 story brownstone with 8 apartments in total
(eg 4 floors 2 apartments per floor).
We joined these two apartments on the top floor into a single apartment.
There is an exit to the rooftop that is accessed from the stairwell.
The question i have is this;
If I buy the two apartments on the third floor as well (eg. I would then own all 4 apartments on the top 2 floors) and there are now only 4 apartments on the bottom 2 floors can we close off the fire exit to the roof?
eg if there is a brownstone with an owners duplex on the top two floors and 4 apartments on the bottom two floors what are the fire exit requirements?
Is there anyone who can interpret this code in my situation?
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/bldgs_code/bc27s6.pdf
As per vincas statement once you have more than two apartments you need to have 2 fire exits.
Cheers,
Dean
As long as you and your roommates are not violating occupancy codes, the number of people in your apartment is irrelevant to whether the landlord is in compliance with fire code. It is not legal to nail a roof hatch closed. I believe it is legal to lock it from inside using a hook and eye latch, and there are other mechanisms available to keep the hatch closed from outside while allowing egress from inside. As to your building: §[C26-603.2] 27-366 Exits from floors—1. There shall be at least two independent exits, remote from each other, from every floor of a building, except that only one exit may be provided from floors in: (a) One and two family dwellings.
However, it may be that even two story buildings need to have two forms of egress. NYURB’s suggestion to buy a collabsible ladder is a good one.
If you are very concerned you can purchase a fire escape collapsable ladder and keep it by the window. They don’t cost much.