Wheel Chair Access Ramp - Remove from upcoming Rehab?

Question

About to rehab a duplex, which has an access ramp but the ramp needs work, and cramps the front yard and will require ongoing maintenance. Should I remove or update? What are the pros vs cons of having a rental property with special access, from a business perspective firstly, or from some other perspective I'm not even considering?

Johnny Nelson · Answer

Hi Geoff! No I removed it.

The reasons were many, but leading that decision was it was built tight to the house on one side and abutted the property fence on the other, and there was no other property access from front to back. Also there was old concrete sidewalk grading issues underneath the ramp, which was pitched to shed water TOWARDS the foundation, (not good).

More generally, to take an old house built circa 1900 and ensure it could meet all (or even some) of the modern ADA requirements wouldn't even be practical. The floor layout was just too small to functionally accommodate. The conclusion is that if I couldn't advertise as Accessible and take advantage of that small market niche, then there truly was no point in keeping it from the Accessibility perspective.

Nicole Heasley Beitenman · Answer

I'd remove. Curious to know if your state would require you to add one if a prospective tenant needed it or if you could allow the tenant to install one at their own cost.

Geoff Schroeder · Answer

Thank you! I am likely doing the same after some further digging.

Geoff Schroeder · Answer

@Johnny Nelson - Did you end up keeping the ramp? I just acquired a property with one that is a bit of an eye sore but sturdy. I am wondering if you would recommend keeping it? I presume you may have lower vacancy but not sure if you were able to rent for a premium. I am also curious if you found a lot of demand for it?Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

Wheel Chair Access Ramp - Remove from upcoming Rehab?

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