Little Known Real Estate Laws

Photo by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

Only Two Toilet Per Building

Many homes have two and a half or more bathrooms. If you want to move to Waldron Island in Washington, you’ll have to give up the idea of having a bathroom for every bedroom or even having that extra half bath. Waldron Island is very small and has a small population. Since the residents want to keep it that way, they have a law that says you can’t have more than two toilets in any building.

Leave the Sasquatch Alone

In Washington state, it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch. The real question is, how many people have actually seen a Sasquatch? Maybe those same people have seen the Loch Ness monster.

Be Careful What You Show Buyers

If you’re selling real estate in Texas, it’s probably better to empty your house before you put it on the market. It’s either that or have a super long purchase contract to list all the exclusions. In Texas, any accessories or improvements that are shown to buyers go with the house. That includes personal photos and artwork on the walls, above-ground pools and even artificial fireplace logs.

No Spite Fences

Many people like fences for privacy, especially in cities. People who live in rural areas often fence in their property to keep wildlife out or to keep animals in. This is all good, as long as those fences are no taller than 6 feet. Anything higher is considered a “spite” fence, at least if you’re in Rhode Island. Yes, that’s ‘spite’ as in, “I’m building a 10-foot-high fence just to spite my neighbor.”

No Burglar Bars

Sometimes, you just have to have burglar bars on the windows. But, Ridgeland, Mississippi says you can’t put them on the outside of the windows. You can put them on the inside of the windows, though.There's uncertainty as to why that law was put into place, but putting the burglar bars on the inside is probably not going to keep someone from breaking your windows.

No More Than Two Female Roommates

In Missouri, you can’t have three female roommates. Even if you decide to live with your three sisters, you won’t be able to do that. Arkansas has a similar law, but theirs says you can’t live with five women. Many years ago, lawmakers were trying to put an end to brothels. The law is very outdated and probably not enforced, but if you and your sisters plan on getting an apartment together or plan on buying a home, you might want to check.