Haverford, PA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 104-11 of the Haverford Township Code, added in 1973 and amended most recently by Ord. No. 2965-2022, ties each change of occupancy in a rental unit to a Code Enforcement inspection. The rule covers any vacant rental dwelling unit or rental rooming unit in Haverford Township, Delaware County.

The inspection tests the unit against the whole Township Code, including the International Property Maintenance Code, the Uniform Construction Code, the International Fire Code and any other applicable provision of the Code of Haverford Township or Pennsylvania law. That means the habitability standards in § 104-5, the smoke and carbon monoxide detector duties in § 104-13 and the self-closing door requirements for multifamily buildings are all checked at the same visit.

The Code Department has discretion over scheduling. The section does not fix an appointment window, so owners follow the notice the department sends. A notice about the scheduling or conduct of an inspection is not optional: failure to comply can result in suspension or revocation of any or all residential rental license permits of the property owner, not only the permit for the unit in question.

Cost is handled by resolution. Inspections and re-inspections are subject to fees and charges the Township sets, fixed by resolution of the Board of Commissioners as amended. The annual rental permit under § 104-10 is a separate requirement, and the Director of Code Enforcement can also inspect occupied units under § 104-7 on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. with proper identification and authorization.

Owners should schedule the occupancy inspection before a new tenant takes the keys, since occupying first is the violation itself.