Railing safey codes and home buying

[RailingQNJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New Jersey

I have just gotten a home inspection, and the inspector pointed out that the railings on a second floor walkway don't meet the 4-inch sphere test that is apparently part of the NJ Residential Building Codes as R312.2.

The house was built 15+ years ago (I don't know what the codes said at the time), and since there is short time before the planned closing date, I was wanting to ask for a monetary allowance towards bringing the railings up to code.

My realtor is pushing back, saying that "it is not the seller's job to child-proof the house."

I had thought that when a house changed hands, safety code violations had to be corrected (similar to wiring problems needing to be corrected). I don't want to be stuck with a huge bill to fix the railings when/if I later sell the house.

Is there an obligation on the seller's part to bring the railings up to code in NJ?

Many thanks!

 

[FarmerJ]

You wrote > I had thought that when a house changed hands, safety code violations had to be corrected (similar to wiring problems needing to be corrected). I don't want to be stuck with a huge bill to fix the railings when/if I later sell the house< in the city or county the home is located is there a city/county ord that requires it? if there is no ord requiring a correction at the time of sale then seller cannot be forced to alter it. As a buyer though your simple addition of lattice work or some other kind of material or even a extra rail inbetween each current one would do the job.