We all know pets often need a way to get from the Laundry Room to the garage, but installing a doggy door on a fire door is not a good move to secure an FHA loan. Why is that? A fire door is designed to reduce the spread of fire, but when a pet door is installed in the fire door, the firewall is compromised. If you’ve ever cared to look, there should be a difference between the door to the garage (fire door) and many of the other doors in your home. Whereas bedroom doors are often hollow on the inside, the fire door to the garage is solid because it is designed to stop fire. All things considered, this is a safety issue in the eyes of FHA, so the problem must be cured according to FHA minimum property standards. A small hole may not seem like a big deal, but fire doesn’t discriminate against size, does it?
If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.
Wow, I never even thought about that.
I know. So many of these things are not written down in a manual, which makes it always interesting for FHA appraisals. I’ve spoken to HUD on the phone about this one too and they definitely agree (at least the Santa Ana Howe Ownership Center).
Great point Ryan. I don’t think most people would even consider this. Thanks for making a post about it to share with others.
Thanks, Tom.
I almost installed one once. Luckily, I was too lazy and it never got done. 🙂 I purchased a patio door panel instead.
Very nice! Good to hear you installed the patio door. I think it’s convenient for some pet owners to have their pets access the garage, but there is a cost to that too with compromising the firewall and then having to potentially replace the door during resale (if FHA financing). Maybe it’s worth it though to some folks.
Doggy doors are excellent for movies involving children left home unattended.
There you go being clever, Scott. Well played.