Portland contractors are losing money from building inspection delays.
Portland’s Bureau of Development Services experienced economic cut-backs and had to let go over half of their building inspectors almost a year ago.
Now, the staff shortage results in building inspection delays that are costing local contractors money.
Beginning last August, the bureau responded to a decrease in new construction projects – and a corresponding drop in revenue – with a series of service cuts and employee layoffs. Previously, 76 building inspectors were able to complete 90 percent of the bureau’s residential inspections in 24 hours; now, 36 building inspectors need 48 hours to complete the same percentage of inspections, BDS spokesman Ross Caron said.
For a new construction project, builders say they usually end up paying between $25 and $50 in interest per day on a construction loan for the property they are building on. A residence normally requires six or seven critical inspections, and delays could lead to builders paying more interest on their loans.
Read more at the Daily Journal of Commerce.
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