Toccoa landlord invites public to home inspection

A Toccoa landlord recently invited the public to his rental property where officials with the City of Toccoa were inspecting the residence.

On September 27, officials from the City of Toccoa conducted a home inspection at 347 South Pond Street. The home owner, Tom Dooley, invited the public to oversee the walk-through inspection of the multiunit property.

Officials arrived, at the multi-unit residence, around 9:00 a.m. and was greeted by a small group of spectators. On the front lawn, home owner Tom Dooley, had put up a sign that read “City of Toccoa Inspection…Open to Public, everyone invited.”

The City of Toccoa Code Enforcement Officer Lindsey Owens tells WNEG News about the inspection.

“We check to make sure electrical outlets are covered, the foundation is secured, we make sure there’s a way out if there’s a fire, we just want to make sure that they (the tenants) are safe,” Owens said.

Toccoa Chief of Police Jimmy Mize said home inspections are done routinely, and ensures the homes are safe for residents.

“We’re out here, today, to make sure this multi-unit apartment is up to code,” Mize said.

Following the inspection, Dooley was asked to meet with officials regarding the issues.

Dooley initially stated that officials with the City of Toccoa were personally attacking him, and had plans to evict his tenants; however, Owens tells a different story.

“We’re not here to evict anyone. Our job is to make sure the residence is safe for the tenants to live in,” he said.

The following is a list of issues found, in all three units, during the inspection:

Faulty and exposed wiring; infestation (of roaches); no screens on windows; means of egress were questionable; no working GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter); improper door locks on bathroom doors; air conditioning units improperly drained; improper or non-vented clothes dryers; chimneys in poor conditions above the roof; crawl space unsecured.

Apartment 101 was found to have the following violations: front porch’s concrete hazardous; porch railing in poor condition and does not meet code; porch roof improperly supported; and porch has rot and is terribly slick from tree sap.

Apartment 102 was found to have the following violations: no hot water; apparent roof leaks; and improper electrical service panel.

Apartment 103 was found to have the following violations: electrical service panel located in closet; and only one means of egress.

The recommendation of Toccoa City Building Inspector Randy Smith is “either complete renovation or complete demolition.”

Owens tells WNEG News that Dooley has agreed to make all necessary repairs to bring his property up to code.