You would not even store your own belongings their let alone have yourself or anyone you know live their.The City of Rochester Building and Safety will not pass inspection on this house.Return the full deposit.

What do you use to test the hot tub for safety and to adjust any chemical levels? 

I know this was a while ago, but incase someone has the same question I would like to put my thoughts into this discussion.The first thing you should do is call the city building & safety to check if they have any concerns or codes that they will require when you build.

I don't know how the law works in your state, but perhaps similar to Maryland in that if serious repairs (that affect health and safety) are not done by the landlord in a reasonable amount of time, the tenant can file for rent escrow.

To summarize, if the unit does not present health or safety issues, you have 5 years to get it permitted.  

And being that I'm not making much income, it's not much of a safety net.  

I would hope to keep at least 10k of my liquid cash as a safety net, perhaps more if possible.

Hi @Matthew Picanco congratulations on making the plunge and with 3 months paid leave I love the safety net.

and thus current codes should not be retroactive on the garage.Yes, agree to all the safety issues as these are a moving target every year. 

I also was able to fix some leaks in the old plumbing and make other improvements to the safety/livability of the space.