Hagerstown safety code could force landlords to change ceiling
heights in buildings  October 23, 2008|By DAN DEARTH  HAGERSTOWN
-- Some Hagerstown landlords could find themselves paying
thousands of dollars if they're ordered to raise the ceiling
height of their rental properties to satisfy a city code, the
president of a local group representing landlords said
Wednesday.  Allan Johnson, president of the Landlords and
Property Owners Association of Washington County Maryland Inc.,
said that the city's recent decision to enforce a code that
requires ceilings to be at least 7 feet high would leave some
landlords with a tough decision: Either pay thousands of dollars
for renovations, or "not utilize" their buildings.  Many of the
buildings were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s and have
ceilings that are lower than 6 feet high, Johnson said. The
height of ceilings in rental properties had not been an issue
for 50 years, he said, so "Why change it now?" he asked.  "I
know they have to draw the line somewhere, bu