STR (Short-Term Rental) Inspection

Required Photos

Title page photo

The front of the house including address numbers for the property on the house or mailbox.

 

Required Floor Plan Graph

*Jump to Floor Plan Graph Example*

 

Roughly drawn floor plan that identifies all walls, doors, windows, and smoke detectors.

Each floor must be labeled on the graph.

Each room should be labeled.
Example: Kitchen, Living room, Bedroom 1, Bedroom 2, Closet, Bathroom, Garage…

Doors will be marked with the following shape:

Windows will be marked with the following shape:

Smoke Alarms will be marked with the following shape:

The top of the graph must be filled out with the correct address, client name, inspection date, and number of bedrooms on the property.

The YES or NO must be circled to identify if the property meets the smoke alarm and egress requirements.

If NO, write a short description of why, and in which room.

Examples: No smoke detector in bedroom 1, Window too small in bedroom 2, Smoke detectors not interconnected, etc…

Requirements for Approved STR Fire Safety Inspection

Smoke detectors must be installed inside every sleeping room, in common areas outside of sleeping rooms, garage, and 1 detector must be present on every floor.

Smoke detectors must be interlinked. If one sounds, the remainder of the smoke detectors must sound as well.

Each sleeping room must have adequate egress.

– The egress must meet the following criteria- The egress window must be operable.- The egress window must have an opening area of 5.7 square feet.- Windows at grade may have a smaller opening area of 5.0 square feet.- The bottom of the egress window must be at, or below 44” from the floor.

Requirements for Egress

  • The egress window must be operable.
  • The egress window must have an opening area of 5.7 square feet.
  • Windows at grade may have a smaller opening area of 5.0 square feet.
  • The bottom of the egress window must be at, or below, 44” from the floor.

Exceptions to the Rules

A secondary door to the exterior can also serve as a means of egress. This will usually be a patio or balcony door instead of a window.

Older homes with bedrooms that have raised windows and/or smaller windows that have not been renovated may be “grandfathered” in.

If codes passed the bedroom design previously, then we will pass it as well. However, if the room was not designed to be a bedroom and it has been altered (renovated) then it must comply with modern standards for fire safety and egress.

FAQ

Nothing can be “grandfathered in”. The transition from a residential property to a commercial short-term rental requires improvements and upgrades to the property to meet modern egress requirements. This includes windows, doors, and smoke detectors.

If a window is inoperable, it cannot count as an egress window.

If a door is inoperable, it cannot count as an egress door.

If a window or door is fully or partially blocked by a permanent obstruction, it cannot count as an egress window or door.
Example: bunk beds secured to walls (or immovable by one person).

Windows partially blocked by moveable furniture such as dressers, unsecured headboards, exercise equipment, etc. can count as an egress window.

Windows at grade (basement) may pass with no less than a 5.0 square foot opening, instead of the 5.7 square foot opening

PASSED Report Language

Address Identification

The house address and numbers were clearly marked either on the mailbox, on the house, or both.

Smoke Alarms

Interconnected smoke alarms were present in every sleeping room of the house, as well as in every room in the path of the means of egress from the sleeping area to the door leading from the sleeping unit, and in each story within the sleeping unit, including basements.

Means of Egress:

A secondary means of egress was present in all sleeping areas of the home and was found to be conforming to the current Residential Building Code and the current Fire Code. 

Summary:

In summary, regarding the above points of inspection, this house is compliant and meets the guidelines set forth in the above Nashville Metro Code to be eligible for a STR Permit. 

FAILED Report Language

Address Identification

The house address and numbers were NOT clearly marked either on the mailbox, on the house, or both.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke Alarms not interconnected:

Smoke alarms were present in every sleeping room of the house, as well as in every room in the path of the means of egress from the sleeping area to the door leading from the sleeping unit, and in each story within the sleeping unit, including basements. However, the smoke detectors were NOT interlinked and failed to sound when one was tested.

Smoke Alarms missing in one or more areas:

Smoke alarms were not present in all of the required locations. Interconnected smoke detectors must be present in every sleeping room of the house, as well as in every room in the path of the means of egress from the sleeping area to the door leading from the sleeping unit, and in each story within the sleeping unit, including basements.

Means of Egress

Missing egress in sleeping room (no window or exterior door):

A secondary means of egress was NOT present in all required sleeping areas of the home and was found to be out of compliance with the current Residential Building Code and the current Fire Code. Each sleeping room requires a secondary means of egress. Windows shall be operable, have an opening of 5.7 square feet, and shall be no higher than 44” from the floor. Minimum egress
width shall be no less than 20”. Minimum egress height shall be no less than 24”.

Egress window less than 5.7sqf or less than 20″ W x 24″ H:

The egress window(s) were too small and were found to be out of compliance with the current Residential Building Code and the current Fire Code. Egress windows require an opening no less than 5.7sqf. Minimum egress width shall be no less than 20”. Minimum egress height shall be no less than 24”.

Egress windows too high from the floor:

The egress window(s) were too far from the floor and were found to be out of compliance with the current Residential Building Code and the current Fire Code. Egress windows are required to be installed no more than 44” from the floor.

Summary:

In summary, regarding the above points of inspection, this house is NOT compliant and does not meet the guidelines set forth in the above Nashville Metro Code to be eligible for a STR Permit.

Instructions Each Applicant Receives Before STR Inspection

Floor Plan with Required Labels Example