Pro Tip: Don't Let a Water Heater Strap Stall Your Closing

Real estate agents aren't experts in city code, and they shouldn't be — it's a separate field of expertise. That's what home inspectors are for. It's their job to look for issues with a property, including safety items like whether a water heater is properly strapped.

Inspections are a common part of the buying process at ORI, and over the past 18 months one item keeps showing up on inspection reports again and again: unstrapped water heaters. California code requires water heaters to be strapped, full stop — there's no leeway based on the type of installation. Whether it's an outdoor kitchen or a full casita, whether the water heater is tankless, a 1-gallon unit, or a 30-gallon tank, it needs a strap (or straps) to meet code. I recently confirmed this with our brokerage, and the requirement is firm: the strap has to be in place before the deal can close through escrow.

The good news is that this is an easy, inexpensive fix. The last time we had a strap installed, the total cost for labor and parts came in under $150 for an outdoor kitchen.

As a seller, taking care of this before you list removes a common source of delay and frustration later in the process. For the price, it's worth handling proactively. There's also a timing advantage: finding a repair person when you have plenty of lead time is easy. Finding one who can make the fix within the few days a closing timeline allows is often much harder.

My advice: if you're preparing to sell your lot at ORI, check your water heater strapping now, before it becomes a line item on someone else's inspection report and a scramble against your closing date.

‍