Man on Porch

This morning was a meeting of the BedPosts (UK B & B Assoc) and I was transcribing the minutes when a large man stomped onto my porch (sounded that way due to his size). I go open the door and am informed, I am from the Health Department. Whoopee, have not had guests so have been "living" in the house. Fortunately the rooms were all made up. One room needed vac and I told him that lady comes back every week for a night so I am leaving it until she is finished (true - a friend in the band stays here after rehearsals and concerts so she does not have to drive 90 minutes home in the dark after her car was a target for 2 deer in one year).
He never even checked beds - I told him our Association requires mattress pads and pillow protectors and they inspect me every 3 years.
He flushed toilets, turned on faucets and waited for the hot water, then checked the cold again. Opened dresser drawers and closet doors. Came downstairs, walked through dining room (walked around the bari sax case in the living room), went into kitchen, opened freezer and fridge, looked into sideboard drawer & compartment, looked at laundry side of kitchen, and asked if there was a guest common area. Told him no, just the dining room and the front porch. He wrote up dust on a ceiling vent on a bathroom and asked if I had a no smoking sign up. Told him no because smokers automatically go to the porch to smoke. He said I need to get a no smoking sign.
I passed. I also told him it was fortunate he came today as tomorrow I would have been in Clarksburg picking up Election materials for Saturday (school board levy renewal - yesterday I went from being a Commissioner to being a Head Commissioner,ugh). He did not get huffy when I told him they really need to call first as I am not always here (point in his favor). Done for another year.

Congratulations!
They would probably come to us right at the moment when the cat gets loose and decides she needs to sit on the eating table.
She's getting better, but we still are in training.

All our visits are unannounced. Don't know what they do if no one answers. We've been here 11 years and have seen the inspector 3 times. One owner never saw him. Others have been handed an extensive list and been told they have one week to fix everything.
Glad you passed. One more thing off the list!

Morticia said:

All our visits are unannounced. Don't know what they do if no one answers. We've been here 11 years and have seen the inspector 3 times. One owner never saw him. Others have been handed an extensive list and been told they have one week to fix everything.
Glad you passed. One more thing off the list!.

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Ours calls ahead to make an appointment. Never had a problem yet. But he also tells me that I can't move down in ranking and I can't move up in ranking. I'm like at 3.95 and they round down. I would have to put in another bathroom to get that .05

Even if he didn't say it, you should put up no smoking signs all over the place... just in case.
Congrats on passing.

Very good!
Two things our inspector was obsessed with were bleach solution in a spray bottle with a testing kit and mini moos. He worried each time that I had unrefrigerated 1/2 and 1/2 out on a counter.

in the UK we are only inspected by Environmental health about every 2 years now due to understaffing and us being classed as low risk - they only inspect the kitchen and food related areas ie if I had a larder or similar - they have all been super nice and no bother - you can ask them to come back another time if its not convenient but I never have as wonder if it looks bad - they came to a neighbor when she was out and they just put a postcard type thing through the door saying would she ring for an appointment of when it was convenient.
You can choose to be inspected by the AA or Visit Britain for a fee - about £50 per bedroom as a rough guide and they talk an awful lot of twaddle for not a lot of gain so we don't bother.

It's always unnerving when they show up. Congrats on passing.
I'm inspected 2x per year. My inspector tries to sneak into the parking lot so we don't have a chance to scramble before he gets to the door. I don't know why he does this, because we get 100% every inspection. Still, I hate it when he shows up unexpected.

Generic said:

Even if he didn't say it, you should put up no smoking signs all over the place... just in case.
Congrats on passing..

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Even he said you can usually tell when walking in if there has been smoking and he did not. I have never had to tell a smoker to go to the porch - they automatically go out to smoke. We now have years of conditioning behind us so it has never been needed.

gillumhouse said:

Generic said:

Even if he didn't say it, you should put up no smoking signs all over the place... just in case.
Congrats on passing..

Click to expand...

Even he said you can usually tell when walking in if there has been smoking and he did not. I have never had to tell a smoker to go to the porch - they automatically go out to smoke. We now have years of conditioning behind us so it has never been needed.
.

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I'm thinking of one sign in the dining room over the desk. I want to point out that they must be at least 25 ft from the building. Most of the time they sit right under my (open) windows and I have to go out and point and ask them to move.
Being on the porch is worse because it blows into the house and into all the rooms.
We had a couple set off the smoke alarm by exhaling when they came back in the house! I had to leave they were that strong smelling.

Morticia said:

gillumhouse said:

Generic said:

Even if he didn't say it, you should put up no smoking signs all over the place... just in case.
Congrats on passing..

Click to expand...

Even he said you can usually tell when walking in if there has been smoking and he did not. I have never had to tell a smoker to go to the porch - they automatically go out to smoke. We now have years of conditioning behind us so it has never been needed.
.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking of one sign in the dining room over the desk. I want to point out that they must be at least 25 ft from the building. Most of the time they sit right under my (open) windows and I have to go out and point and ask them to move.
Being on the porch is worse because it blows into the house and into all the rooms.
We had a couple set off the smoke alarm by exhaling when they came back in the house! I had to leave they were that strong smelling.
.

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Oh my.

Morticia said:

gillumhouse said:

Generic said:

Even if he didn't say it, you should put up no smoking signs all over the place... just in case.
Congrats on passing..

Click to expand...

Even he said you can usually tell when walking in if there has been smoking and he did not. I have never had to tell a smoker to go to the porch - they automatically go out to smoke. We now have years of conditioning behind us so it has never been needed.
.

Click to expand...

I'm thinking of one sign in the dining room over the desk. I want to point out that they must be at least 25 ft from the building. Most of the time they sit right under my (open) windows and I have to go out and point and ask them to move.
Being on the porch is worse because it blows into the house and into all the rooms.
We had a couple set off the smoke alarm by exhaling when they came back in the house! I had to leave they were that strong smelling.
.

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Wow. My porch gets a decent breeze. IF I ever opened the window of my office, I would get it - BIG TIME. The glider is in front of that window. Fortunately this house is at least 10 degrees cooler in summer than the outside - without running the A/C downstairs. Unfortunately - the same holds true for winter, so I layer and sometimes slip on my silk glove liners (cheaper than the gas bill or the electric bill for the space heater).