Rental Housing safety/code question - STX

Welcome to the islands! The general building code is from the one most often used in Miami Dade County Florida. it is often stated to as The Southern Building Code.
There is a department of inspections for the VI government, it can be found in the blue pages of the phone directory. If you can get them to inspect, they will agree with you that the condo is probably not built to code.
I would install the smoke detectors in the living space of the condo, just like anywhere else in the real world. I would ask the landlord if I could install ceiling fans in the places where necessary. But remember, if you attach to the building in a permanent connection, you might have to leave them when you go, unless you retain the old fixtures and replace...as I have done before!
I don't know where you are renting, but most landlords wouldn't mind their tenants paying for any repairs that the tenant would like...just seems to be the way of the world.

Captpete is correct about the building/housing code. I would also ask how old your building is? It is possible that some of the things you mention (exhaust fans) were not required when it was built and therefore your condo is legal by virtue of being grandfathered in. But smoke dectectors ARE required and I would ask about them immediately.

But none of that is really relevant to your situation. You say you love the Condo and don't want to jeopardize your relationship with the owner - so you have to figure out a way to get what you want/need without stepping on toes. I would not contact authorities unless I was willing to move.

Does your lease address any of these issues?

ventilation fans seem to be an oddity rather than an automatic in properties on STX. Smoke detectors also are a sporadic inclusion. With buildings constructed of concrete, there are very few fires and it seems that smoke detectors just aren't seen as having much of a point by most locals. Most roofs are at least partially made of wood, though, so smoke detectors shouldn't be ignored. When properties do have smoke detectors, they often don't have working batteries. Electrical outlets also don't tend to be installed with any pattern or thought to functionality in mind. I know my house has entire walls without a single outlet. The wiring used also isn't necessarily the right color or connected with the right wire nuts, etc. Making an electrical repair can be rather complicated to sort out. And this isn't only on houses built by individuals for their own family's use. Some condo complexes have the most jumbled and irregular wiring I have ever seen.

I haven't heard of anyone regularly inspecting rentals or of shutting them down if they don't meet "code".. whatever that might mean here on a particular day to a particular inspector. I suspect that at least 90% of rentals wouldn't meet "code" if measured by identical standards, and there isn't likely to be a wholesale closing down of apartments and condo complexes.

Best advice for dealing with your situation would be to purchase any smoke detectors and fire extinguishers and fans you feel are necessary for your personal safety and comfort. Then gently ask your property manager if the landlord might reimburse you for at least part of the expense. They may cooperate or they may not. But at least you will have peace of mind.

I don't have any idea how old the Coakley Bay condos are, but they don't seem to be too old -- maybe built in the 80's or 90's is my guess. However, the unit that we are in was renovated by the former owner just before being purchased by our landlord. There is new oak flooring throughout, new kitchen appliances and both bathrooms were completely remodeled with new fixtures - the toilets still had the stickers on them when we moved in. I would assume that a contractor was hired to do the work and would have had to obtain necessary permits before beginning the work. This work would then have to be inspected when the work was complete. I now understand that this is most likely a bad assumption.

I checked our lease and it says that any improvements require written permission of the landlord. So, I plan to contact our property manager to discuss these issues on the outside chance that she'll/they'll make the requested improvements or at least, reimburse us for expenses incurred. If not, I'll write up a request to allow us install the smoke detectors and go from there.

Thank you all for your responses. I continue to learn from you and appreciate your feedback.

Coakley Bay suffered severe damage during hurricane Hugo in 1989. Many of the units were gutted and rebuilt after that date. When I looked at them some years ago, they were among the "better" built and maintained on St Croix.

As Alexandra has stated, construction and code adherence has not ever been a high point here. If you are dealing with ethical agents and owners, I believe they will value you as a good renter. Share your concerns with the owners, most agents here just want to protect the status quo. The owners should pay to install and maintain smoke detectors and other needed safety devices. Good vents are a luxury. If you like most everything else here you are on the right track.

Smoke detectors are cheap insurance. Install them! If the room has flammable contents, flashover can occur whether the walls are wood or concrete

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashover :

"A flashover is the simultaneous ignition of all combustible material in an enclosed area.

Flashover occurs when the majority of surfaces in a space are heated to the point (known as fire point) at which they give off flammable gases that are hot enough to sustain combustion. Flashover normally occurs at 500 °C (930 °F).

The classic example of flashover is where a piece of furniture is set alight in a domestic room. The fire on the furniture produces a layer of hot smoke across the ceiling in the room. The radiated heat from this layer causes pyrolysis (heating of the other surfaces in the room, causing them to give off flammable gases). When the surface temperatures become high enough, these gases ignite and, in the space of a few seconds, every surface in the room may be on fire."

We just had renovations made and the problems with rigging a vent fan in an interior bathroom that would be compatible with our plywood/sealant roof were too numerous and costly in addition to not being required by code. We made out better all the way around with installing a ceiling fan.

As others stated, smoke detectors were not required by code but we do get peace of mind and a small discount on a very expensive homeowner's policy that make it worth our while to install the ones with a remote to shut off/test (you'll be happy to spend a little more for that remote if you have cathedral ceilings).

As you're learning, MI codes were designed for cold-weather, often wood framed homes and are far different than what is needed or required for the homes built in/for the USVI. I had the same adjustment of thought to having grown up as a Michigander -- you can imagine how hard my jaw dropped when we looked at a $250k home a few years back that had a 40 ft. line running (hanging loose) about 8 feet off the floor from the hole punched in the master bedroom outer wall down the hallway to connect with the stove and the dryer! After stuff like that, it gets pretty easy to forget about range hoods and relatively cheap smoke detectors.

@debralu 

It seems even in 2021 that smoke detectors aren’t required or the property manager is unethical! My son died in an electrical fire in June of 2021. Not one article in any newspaper. Previous electrical problems, no smoke detectors and metal slats on windows. He was only living there about a month. Had I known the situation I would’ve sent him smoke detectors! If your landlord doesn’t install them, put them in yourself. 

Posted by: @sallysmith

It seems even in 2021 that smoke detectors aren’t required or the property manager is unethical! 

Our building code is much the same as Florida's and I'm certain that hard wired smoke detectors are a requirement in new construction and renovations. I just completed a major home reno and included hard wired smoke detectors because I thought they were required. They may not be required in rentals, I just don't know.

The issue we have in the VI is a complete lack of enforcement. We have laws and the legislature keeps passing new ones. But, there is very little inspection or enforcement of anything. I own a business and the fire inspector come by once a year to inspect, but, the inspection consists of the person popping in, having a quick chat, asking if everything is okay and leaving. All that for $100.