What Havertown Sellers Should Know Before the Township Inspector Arrives

Every residential sale inside Haverford Township needs a Use and Occupancy Certificate before the deed transfers, and the township wants the application on file at least 30 days before settlement. Most sellers hear that number and assume it is a scheduling detail. It is not. It is the single sentence that decides whether you negotiate from a position of preparation or a position of pressure.

The thesis, stated plainly

Pennsylvania law will not let Haverford Township block your closing over code findings. What it cannot do is manufacture time. On streets built out in the 1920s and 1930s, the items most likely to fail an inspection are also the items with the longest contractor lead times. The value of applying early has almost nothing to do with the township. It has everything to do with keeping a sidewalk contractor, not your buyer, on your critical path.

What the state changed, and what it did not

One of the provisions of Act 133 states that a violation found through a point-of-sale inspection cannot be used to deny a permit or to require pre-settlement repairs. The Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act was amended again in October 2024 as Act 93, which further clarified that municipal authorities also comply with all requirements of MCOCA.

Practically, that means Haverford Township must issue one of three documents after the inspection, no matter what the inspector writes down:

Defining a property as "unfit for human habitation" would mean that the property has conditions that make it likely to be dangerous to the health and safety of occupants or neighbors, including things like fire risks, lack of sanitary facilities, vermin or overall disrepair that would cost half or more of the sales price of the property to fix. For maintained Havertown homes, that outcome is rare. The realistic question is whether you finish with a clear certificate or a temporary one, and how the temporary one gets priced into the contract.

The township also cannot demand escrow. Municipalities are forbidden from requiring escrowed funds, bonds or other sorts of financial arrangements as a condition of issuing occupancy permits. If a title agent tells you money must be held back for the township, that is not how the statute reads.

The findings that actually catch Havertown sellers

The township's inspection checklist references Ordinance 2532, Ordinance 2625, and the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code. A handful of items generate most of the deficiency notices on Havertown blocks, and each one is worth understanding on its own terms rather than as a line on a form.

Sidewalks. The measurable threshold is specific. Under Chapter 157 of the township code, the seller of the property shall replace any sidewalk and walkway segment or sections which contain structural cracks (a crack that is entirely though the concrete) or have a deviation in elevation between blocks in excess of ¾ inches or have a substantial defect. Seventy years of freeze-thaw cycles under the sycamores of Brookline and Oakmont will do that to any slab poured before the Second World War. Concrete crews in Delaware County book out four to eight weeks in the spring and fall. If the inspection uncovers a slab in April and you are trying to close in May, the sidewalk owns your calendar.

Curbs. Same ordinance, similar rule. The sellers of real property in the Township shall replace any curb, curb segment or curb section that: contains structural cracks or structural defects; or has a deviation in elevation between curb segments or sections in excess of ¾ inch, or has deteriorated or has a reveal of less than three inches (3") as measured from the road surfaces to the top of the curb. Reveal is the height of the curb above the asphalt. On streets that have been repaved multiple times, the reveal shrinks with each new lift, and eventually the curb falls out of compliance without anything having changed on your property.

House numbers. The checklist calls for numbers at least 4 inches (4") high, clearly visible from the street, with sufficient contrast so as to be easily read in inclement weather and at night. Brass numerals mounted on dark trim, or numbers overgrown by a rhododendron, are cited routinely. Replacement is a Saturday morning, not a repair line.

Exterior handrails. Any set of front or side steps with more than two risers needs a compliant handrail. A wobbly rail on a bluestone stoop is a common finding.

Interior sewer inspection. This is the item most out-of-town listing sources miss. Haverford Township requires Sewer – Interior sewer inspection required after U and O application has been submitted. Older clay laterals under Havertown yards are prone to root intrusion, and a failed scope becomes a repair line item that involves excavation and a right-of-way permit. If you have never had your lateral scoped, do it before you list.

Knob-and-tube wiring. Not strictly a township finding, but it lives in the same conversation. Any pre-1940 house that has not been rewired above the second floor may still carry active knob-and-tube. It rarely shows up on the U&O checklist. It reliably shows up on the buyer's inspection report and on the insurance underwriter's desk, and it can complicate the buyer's mortgage. Disclose it, price it, or update it before the listing photos go up.

The 30-day rule, translated into a calendar

The township's application window is worded as a minimum. The Haverford Township U&O application must be filed at least 30 days before settlement by township ordinance. Read alongside the sidewalk lead times, that minimum is misleading.

Work backward from a plausible summer closing:

• Week 0: You list.
• Week 3–5: You go under contract. Average Delaware County contracts run 30 to 45 days to close.
• Week 5: You file the U&O application. You are already inside the 30-day window.
• Week 6: Inspector visits. Finds a slab with a 1-inch heave and a curb with a 2-inch reveal.
• Week 6–14: Contractor scheduled, permit pulled, work done, re-inspection ordered. Township requires all re-inspections to be at least 3 days prior to settlement.

The math does not close. Either the buyer agrees to a temporary U&O and takes on the repair, which becomes a credit against your net proceeds, or settlement moves. Both outcomes are worse than the alternative, which is filing before the sign goes in the yard.

Where Compass Concierge changes the picture

The reason early filing is not universal advice is that pre-list repairs cost money at the moment sellers have the least of it. This is the specific gap Compass Concierge is designed to close: fronting the cost of pre-market work, including sidewalk and curb replacement, exterior painting, and staging, with no interest and no upfront payment. If your U&O walk-through surfaces a $6,000 sidewalk section, Concierge can pay the concrete crew directly, and the balance settles out of your proceeds at closing. That converts a cash-flow problem into a scheduling problem, and scheduling is the one variable the 30-day rule leaves under your control.

FAQ

Can the township require me to fix violations before closing? No. Under MCOCA as amended, the township must issue a certificate after the inspection. The type of certificate changes based on findings. Municipalities must give the homeowner 12 months to resolve any violations found during the inspection, which allows the buyer and seller to negotiate who will perform and pay for the work.

Who pays for the U&O repairs, buyer or seller? That is a negotiation, not a rule. A pre-list finding gives you three options: repair on your timeline, disclose and price accordingly, or credit at closing. A post-contract finding narrows those options to the last two, and the buyer sets the terms.

What if the property is being sold as-is by an estate? As-is does not remove the requirement. However, when a seller lists a property "as-is," the buyer may take on the responsibility of navigating the U&O process. The certificate still has to issue before the deed transfers.

Can I do the sidewalk work myself? Concrete work in the public right-of-way requires a Haverford Township sidewalk permit and a licensed contractor with current township credentials. Homeowner labor is not the shortcut it looks like.

If you are thinking about listing a Havertown home in the next twelve months, the calendar starts before the sign goes up, not after. Wagner Real Estate Group has represented sellers on these streets for four generations, and we coordinate the U&O walk-through, the Concierge financing, and the contractor schedule so the inspection is a formality rather than a fire drill. Get your free home valuation and we will build the pre-list timeline with you.