As an architect myself, clearing the red tape and getting through the municipality review process to attain permits and then the contractor complying with the necessary inspections can be time consuming.

I’m not concerned with the property performance as much as I am with complying with the law when I ask the question.

You are a landlord so have to comply with land lord tenant laws even if renting a bedroom and house hacking.

However, even if this multifamily exemption applies to you, your rental advertising must still comply with the Act.Other exemptions include the rental of a single room in a home, qualified senior housing, and housing operated by religious or private organizations, if certain requirements are met. 

Know what your next step is if they refuse to comply and be prepared to implement it immediately.

A licensee of the Board shall comply with the Board's regulations, notwithstanding the fact that the licensee would be otherwise exempt from licensure under subsection A."

This will encourage him to want to keep place in good clean condition and not talk badly about any potential issues.If he is not going to comply with your wishes then I would wait till he is out before showing house.

Then contact the section 8 overseers, and notify them of your intentions to evict if the tenants do not comply.

Unfortunately, now I got an "order to repair" from the city (and not complying will result in fines) but repair is out of the question - simply not worth the cost.

If you can figure out a way to add them and comply with your local building codes you can do it.