Submitted by SarcasticGamer t3_11963w8 in nottheonion
Comments
Todd-The-Wraith t1_j9lqtuy wrote
For the most of you that won’t read the article: the title is shameless clickbait.
The notice gave 30 days for compliance. It’s a warning not an actual violation, infraction, wtv. It’s nothing more than code enforcement telling you something is wrong.
“If an extension is needed, we will give them that extension,” a representative from the code department explained. “We work with the owners or management.”
Homeowner said the driver’s insurance is paying for the repairs, which should be completed around the end of February.
So to summarize: the city gives a notice saying “hey you need to fix this” but they will work with you to ensure compliance is reasonably possible.
Yes the procedure of issuing it so soon was totally tone deaf and bad optics.
However a notice saying “you have 30 days to repair this” from an agency that explicitly states the 30 days is easily extendable upon request is NOT the same as an imposed fine.
It’s the possibility of a future fine if the homeowner doesn’t make any reasonable efforts. In this case the homeowner expects to be done by next week.
This story is a big ol nothingburger.
KilledByFruit t1_j9lvrwb wrote
I have not read the article yet myself but your comment is reasonable. We accidentally installed a non-compliant fence on our property (not in Texas) and I called the day after receiving the letter to find out our options since they had said we had X amount of weeks to remove it. The building inspector sighed and said, “listen, just the fact that you’re calling right now means that we’re not going to enforce that timeline”. It’s a boilerplate letter and as long as you’re taking action to remedy, they’ll work with you.
Todd-The-Wraith t1_j9lz818 wrote
Yeah notice of violation is intended to sound scary enough to compel compliance.
Here’s the dirty little secret of local government: they’d MUCH rather just have people comply than litigate a contested violation.
barberica t1_j9mo3co wrote
Exact thing happened when my childhood home was hit by a bus. My parents were so pissed that the city was up their asses about repairs when they literally couldn’t make the repairs go any faster, but that’s essentially what it was. They just needed to know work WAS being done in a timely manner.
[deleted] t1_j9md5lf wrote
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[deleted] t1_j9p6yvw wrote
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ChanThe4th t1_j9m91o6 wrote
I'm going to take the more realistic approach and say you're completely wrong.
The only reason this person got the extension is because of how much attention this recieved. These government workers don't give af about you or your life. They are there to collect money.
The fact that the person even recieved this notice without being given explicit details on how to proceed says all that needs to be said. This was a cash grab that failed and became embarrassing enough to be swept up before anyone notices the mess.
CoolKicks t1_j9mydwp wrote
A house a neighborhood over from me caught fire. They lost about half the house in the fire, and boarded up what was still standing and just tried to live in the rest of the house. The city had to condemn the house to get them to move out of a house that was no longer habitable.
This code violation seems like the automatic version of that process. Almost certainly the city will issue a violation for a basketball size hole in a wall, or a car size hole, because there is a process to follow to make sure homes are safely habitable.
Is it tone deaf, yes. But for every story like this, someone is still living in the 30% of their home that’s still standing after a fire, and legal process is legal process.
Todd-The-Wraith t1_j9nnooc wrote
Local governments would much MUCH rather have voluntary compliance than face a litigated code violation.
These notice letters have contact information for code enforcement on them.
Now if the homeowner had called and was denied an extension then this would be the outrageous story the headline makes it out to be.
deathleech t1_j9o4vsi wrote
Nah, they are usually pretty good about granting extensions if you try to be reasonable with them. We had to move a shed and I contacted our town. Basically went back and said it’s the middle of winter and I can’t do it at this time of the season. They came back and gave me a 4 month extension no other questions asked. Of course it was a silly warning in the first place, and I am sure some cities are more anal than others, but for the most part they just want you to be in code rather than tick you off or have you ignore them.
jabberwockgee t1_j9nw579 wrote
I imagine it would be easy to find a story where someone had dates set for construction that wasn't within the time limit, so a city kicked them out and made them homeless, right?
ChanThe4th t1_j9nwiar wrote
Yes, you can find the story of a 72yr old cancer patient being fined for not taking care of his yard while doing treatment. You can find stories of people facing violations and fines for endless amounts of absolutely ridiculous issues that would be resolved better by simply calling or reaching out to make sure the person is ok.
Why is it so hard for people to treat others in a humane fashion? Why does everything revolve around punishment rather than simple communication?
jabberwockgee t1_j9nx9no wrote
That's not the same as this situation.
If you're going to be contrary for the sake of being contrary, at least bring an example.
Crooked_Cock t1_j9lacso wrote
Sounds about right for the backwards ass giant cumstain on the continental US that is the state of texas
dillrepair t1_j9lqo01 wrote
“Oh did i build my house in the way of your imaginary road?”
Pechumes t1_j9op3k9 wrote
I’m guessing you didn’t read the article?
Infernalism t1_j9koq23 wrote
Yee Haw, Texas
mreed911 t1_j9kqyr3 wrote
And this, folks, is city government at work.
irkedZirk t1_j9msfyf wrote
You have 30 minutes to move your car Your car has been crushed into a cube You have 30 minutes to move your cube
ironroad18 t1_j9mut08 wrote
Is this article about my cube?
Oblivious122 t1_j9mo1u2 wrote
Ofc Austin fire narced on him. Code enforcement doesn't have time to deal with the thousands of actual issues but they have time to punish this guy.
Zeduca t1_j9ooer0 wrote
I remember when family of the deceased received an ambulance bill promptly too.
Acceptable_Wall4085 t1_j9n400t wrote
Only in America you say?? Thank Christ for that.
bubba-yo t1_j9nd81s wrote
Love how half of Texas doesn't have any building codes and the other half projects the most absurd ones.
I get that the city just wants this done ASAP. And yet, they send this letter that they'll enforce in 30 days, the homeowner may or may not know if they'll enforce, the city may not know if they'll enforce. What's the fucking point of this system? We're going to tell you half a lie, you're supposed to know which half is a lie, we'll not punish you if you guess correctly.
AUWarEagle82 t1_j9mkjwf wrote
Austin is one of those Bolshevik "Meccas" where the criminal here probably hasn't faced any consequences for his actions but the victim is getting hammered by the "caring" nanny state.
And we already have apologists for the nanny state commenting on how wonderful the state is for dropping the hammer.
You have to love Bolsheviks!
JD0x0 t1_j9mlo9r wrote
Good Ol' Texas Freedom™
SelectionTable t1_j9ku8lp wrote
USA USA USA
jelloslug t1_j9ld7qc wrote
You mean TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS
Outrageous-Stay6075 t1_j9kmxvq wrote
He has 30 days to repair his house or he gets fined, and has already gotten one extension. This is a clickbait nothingburger.
MoneyBags5200 t1_j9kubbm wrote
Fined $2,000 for having a hole in his house (charge 1) and not having a window installed (charge 2). It is not clickbait that’s exactly what happened in the title wtf. The point being it was extremely tone-deaf to his situation.
Castod28183 t1_j9lp8fg wrote
Cities/municipalities do this in order to "incentivize"(so to speak) people into fixing the problem. They would not actually fine a person that was working on fixing the issue. They are just saying, "Hey we know you have a giant hole in your house, we know it's not you're fault, but you do need to get those repairs started to bring your house back up to code."
They do this because there are some people that would just half-ass some repairs or leave them unrepaired altogether. This is a big issue with burned down houses. A lot of people will just abandon the property of a burned down residence if they don't have the means to repair it.
Again, there is absolutely zero chance that the city would actually fine the guy if he was actively working to resolve the problem.
Outrageous-Stay6075 t1_j9kx1m9 wrote
...and that fine goes away as soon as the repairs are made. Did you read the whole article?
MoneyBags5200 t1_j9kxm93 wrote
Yes that’s how I know what it said my guy. You as a person don’t seem to think it is unreasonable for a city to NOT fine a person for a separate person driving into their house. Tell me how this statement is false “Texas homeowner faces fines after suspected DWI driver damages house”. That’s what happened, yes the fines will go away but it’s the gall to do it in the first place. You couldn’t even put that into the title grammatically with how it was written. And if you don’t understand my point after this then well it doesn’t matter.
stewmander t1_j9lh86r wrote
Faces fines.
He wasn't fined.
It's click bate because it could just as easily been written "faces potential fines" or something.
"Hey, we're just letting you know that you're technically in violation, you have 30 days to fix it, but if you need more time just let us know."
Honestly the city seems the most reasonable of all involved here, but I get that an NOV letter might hurt the homeowners feelings.
soolkyut t1_j9lbpfk wrote
You’re right, but it’s more fun for people to think the city is actually fining this guy.
They’re just flagging it in their system.
Mitthrawnuruo t1_j9lo0oq wrote
This is how you get a kill dozer.
30 days? Good luck finding a reputable contractor, materials, permits, and drafted blueprint in 30 days.