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From YouTube: Commissioners Corner - William Christopher, ISD
Description
Mayor Walsh is committed to having an administration that is accountable to all residents, no matter who you are or where you live. Commissioners Corner introduces you to your city leaders, who will showcase their agencies and discuss information that is important to everyone in this great city. On this episode, host Najya Mawasi is joined by William Christopher, Commissioner of Inspectional Services to discuss the hiring of a contractor, permitting with the City of Boston and spring student move-out.
A
Only
where
home
is
an
accomplishment
that
most
of
us
consider
in
American
dream.
You
sustain
that
dream
by
maintaining
the
quality
of
your
home
hiring
a
licensed
contractor
is
necessary
to
complete
a
well
done.
Job
I
encourage
you
to
stay
with
us.
If
you
are
a
homeowner
or
planning
on
buying
a
home
in
the
city
of
Boston,
William
Christopher
Commissioner
of
inspectional
Services
suggests
that
you
do
your
homework
before
hiring
a
contractor
to
prevent
you
from
becoming
a
victim
to
unscrupulous
contractors.
A
Inspectional
services
serves
the
public
by
protecting
the
health,
safety
and
environmental
stability
of
Boston's
business
and
residential
communities.
You
may
have
recently
seen
Commissioner
Christopher
as
our
guest.
We
discussed
bosses
need
letter
grading
system
for
restaurants,
we'll
catch
up
with
him
about
that.
But
today's
focus
is
all
about
you
in
your
home.
Commissioner
Christopher
is
a
former
member
of
the
International
Code
Council,
the
southern
Building
Code
Congress
international
and
former
president
of
the
Columbia
Savin
Hill
Association
welcome
good
morning,
mayor
Christopher's,
so
great
to
have
you
here
again.
A
B
B
Walk
by
a
restaurant
they've
never
been
in
before
they'll
see
their
letter
grade
as
an
A
and
they're
more
inclined
to
go
in
in
you
know,
sample
the
restaurant,
so
the
intention
was
to
get
a
health
rating
system
out
to
the
public
in
a
way
that
was
really
understood,
and
it
needs
to
be
a
tremendous
success
where
we're
really
embracing
it.
Moving
forward
with
it.
B
Know
it's
in
I
can't
take
full
credit
for
it.
The
Health
Department
in
all
of
is
be
in
the
Mayor
Walsh's
administration.
It
was
really
supportive
about
getting
the
message
out.
They
want
constituents
to
have
a
positive
restaurant
experience
in
our
city,
and
this
is
a
very
simple
way
took
a
lot
of
work
to
get
the
regulatory
part
of
it
in
place,
but
it
is
working.
People
are
very
proudly
displaying
it.
I
go
into
restaurants
and
I,
see
the
letter
grade
framed
and
you
know
putting
a
place
of
prominence
so.
B
A
And
glad
it's
running
smoothly,
it's
always
good
when,
if
things
are
going
well,
let's
move
into
contracting
about
the
home.
Considering
program
is
about
contract
and
permit.
So,
let's,
let's
start
out
with
contracting
I
recently
bought
hold.
This
scenario
recently
bought
a
home
love.
My
home
I
want
to
add
an
in-law
unit.
Where
do
I
begin
well.
B
There's
there's
a
number
of
places
to
begin
depending
upon
how
complicated
your
project
is.
You
may
need
the
services
a
registered
architect
or
are
interested
engineer
to
help
you
the
biggest
thing
I
tell
people
to
do
is
first
start
with
what
is
it
you
clearly
want
to
do,
not
necessarily
how
you
want
to
do
it,
but.
A
B
B
Rushing
into
those
sometimes
is
the
biggest
mistake
because
you'll
make
a
decision
and
then,
as
you
see
it
physically
being
constructed,
you
realize
you
made
a
mistake
and
then
it
becomes
a
source
of
aggravation.
One
of
the
things
that
I'm
most
concerned
about
is
hiring
contractors
most
people,
the
average
person,
does
not
have
a
whole
litany
of
contractors.
They're
used
to
working
with
and
dealing
with,
I
tell
people
to
talk
to
their
friends
and
associates.
B
Different
contractors
they've
worked
with
to
see
if
they
have
a
good
working
relationship
and
there
are
really
two
parts
of
it
that
are
very
important.
One
of
them
is
the
ability
to
communicate.
The
contractor
has
to
make
sure
that
they
understand
what
it
is
you're
trying
to
achieve,
what
the
level
of
quality
the
project
is
going
to
be,
and
then
there's
the
legal
part
of
it.
That's
very
important.
B
The
contract
is
something
that
again
I
strongly
recommend
that,
if
you're
going
into
a
contract
that
you
have
a
lawyer
review
the
contract
to
make
sure
that
you're
protected
to
verify
that
the
contractor
has
their
own
insurance.
That
they're
licensed
then
they're
qualified
to
do
the
type
of
work
that
you
want
them
to
do,
and
then
it's
on
them
or
the
responsibility
from
an
owner
should
be
to
the
contractor
to
secure
the
proper
permits.
B
As
we
go
forward
in
what
we're
doing,
if
you're
painting
your
living
room,
you
don't
really
need
a
permit,
but
if
you
do
anything,
that's
structural
affects
the
occupancy
of
the
building
or
the
egress
of
the
building,
whether
it's
a
single-family
home
or
a
commercial
process,
you
do.
You
are
required
to
pull
a
permit
to
go
forward.
One
of
the
biggest
things
about
this
is
the
insurance.
B
I
always
tell
people
to
make
sure
that
their
contractor
has
the
proper
insurance
for
the
project,
because
if
they
don't
and
they
proceed
with
the
project,
it's
going
to
end
up
being
on
your
homeowners
insurance
and
if
there
is
something
that
happens,
and
it
becomes
your
problem
more
than
it
does
the
contract.
Okay,.
A
B
Important
you
know
we
always
tell
people
to
ask
for
references,
but
it's
been
my
experience:
you're
not
going
to
get
bad
references
you're
going
to
get
those
references.
That's
good!
So
I
think
that
you
have
to
do
a
little
due
diligence.
You
have
to
check
with
the
state
and
with
inspectional
services
to
make
sure
that
that
contract
is
licensed.
You
ask
the
contractor:
do
they
have
workman's
compensation
and
you
want
a
copy
of
the
policy
we
require
that
at
ISD
as
well.
B
You
know,
as
a
homeowner,
you
can
sign
a
homeowner
exemption
that
relieves
the
contractor
of
that
responsibility.
That's
up
to
you!
If
you
want
to
make
that
choice,
but
I
strongly
recommend
that
you
don't
you
may
cost
you
a
little
more
money
in
the
contractors
fee,
but
the
reality
of
the
responsibility
is
on
them.
Then,
to
do
the
proper
thing
depending
upon
what
the
scope
of
the
work
is.
It
really
gets
involved.
B
You
want
to
make
sure
that
this
contractor
really
knows
the
work
that
you've
done,
that
they've
done
similar
projects
that
you
can
go
look
at,
because
the
concern
of
quality
is
a
very
important
thing.
The
architect
or
the
engineer
will
help
you
define
your
taste
in
your
style
and
the
overall
scope
of
the
work,
but
when
it
comes
to
the
actual
you
know,
driving
the
nails
or
making
sure
things
are
square
and
plumb.
That's
the
contractors
responsibility,
okay,.
A
You
know
that's
fire,
but
the
person,
the
homeowner
notices
that
you
know
after
50%
of
that
job
is
done,
that
they're
noticing
that
it's
getting
a
little
sloppy
and
maybe
things
they're
noticing
things
are
on
easy.
It
uneven
scuze
me
or
just
not.
Well
done,
can
you
get
out
of
that
contract
and
what
are
the
risks
of
doing
that?
Well,.
B
That's
that's
a
real
legal
situation.
That's
why
the
contract,
when
you
develop
it
before
you
sign
it,
you
have
it
reviewed
that
there
are
legitimate
exit
clauses
in
the
contract.
I
also
recommend
to
people
to
get
a
payment
schedule.
How
is
the
payment
going
to
be
made
at
what
intervals
and
what
levels
of
completion
are
you
expected
to
make
another
payment?
B
B
A
B
Strongly
do
not
recommend
that
there
is
no
basis
for
that.
There
is,
usually
you
know,
assigning
amount
of
money
that
has
to
go
into
the
contractor.
Can
gear
up
for
the
project?
That's
legitimate,
but
10.
20
percent
is
the
real
number
there.
If
you
get
too
far
ahead
of
the
project,
you
start
losing
your
ability
to
control
that
money,
and
then
it
becomes
a
legal
matter
that
you
have
to
take
them.
To
course
that
doesn't
help
you,
because
your
project
is
on
hold.
B
Your
money
is
tied
up
in
a
court
system
and
that
just
doesn't
help
you
get
the
project
completed.
So
it
becomes
a
very
you
know,
unsatisfying
event.
By
doing
it
in
increments
that
everybody
agrees
to
when
the
building
you
know
receives
its
rough
framing
X
amount
of
dollars
is
paid
when
the
plaster
or
sheetrock
is
completed.
X
amount
of
dollars
is
paid.
We
always
find
that
if
everyone
really
defines
their
expectations
and
their
goals
before
you
sign
the
contract,
it
makes
for
a
much
better
event.
A
B
You
have
the
ability
to
do
that.
You
sign
on
the
permit
application
for
your
homeowners
exemption.
You
have
to
prove
that
you
are
the
homeowner
and
we'll
issue
that
permit
to
you.
If
the
work
involves
structural
work
and
licensed
work,
then
we
do
want
to
have
the
proper
person
to
that.
You
may
be
a
licensed
contractor.
In
that
case,
it
works
well.
Okay,.
B
Unfortunately,
that
does
happen.
You
know
we
really
encourage
people
to.
Let
us
know
when
they
see
something
going
on
in
their
neighborhood.
They
don't
think
this
perimeter
will
help
them
with
that,
what
happens
is
we'll
get
a
complaint
or
we'll
observe
it
ourselves?
An
inspector
will
go
out
and
put
a
stop
work
order
on
the
project
that
your
audit
to
cease
and
desist
all
future
work
until
you
come
into
inspectional
services
and
work
out
the
paperwork
and
the
permitting
that's
required
for
the
project.
A
B
Entitled
want
to
come
to
ISD
anytime,
you
would
like
to
review
those
permits.
You
do
have
that
right.
We
do
ask
the
contract
as
the
supply
I,
let
them
from
the
recording
homeowner
that
they
have
permission
to
pull
a
permit
on
that
project.
We
really
strongly
recommend
that
the
licensed
builders
name
be
on
the
permit
that
you
know
it's
not
somebody
doing
the
work
under
someone
else's
license.
B
A
A
A
B
By
some
it
means
you
know,
say
the
contractor
loser
did
their
contractor's
license
during
the
process.
We
will
make
every
attempt
to
notify
the
owner,
but
events
we
will,
from
the
city's
point
of
view,
we
will
stop
the
work,
but
then
it
becomes
again
a
legal
matter
between
the
owner
and
the
contractor.
Again
that
really
stresses
the
importance
of
the
contract,
and
there
are
contracts
that
you
can
get
online.
B
There
are
free
legal
services
that
will
assist
you,
but
it
is
really
worth
the
investment
of
making
sure
that
you
have
legal
representation
to
read
that
contract
to
make
sure
that
you're
protected
anytime.
You
sign
any
project,
that's
really
important.
We
have
cases,
for
example,
if
there's
a
fire
and
there
has
to
be
a
board
up,
I
strongly
recommend
to
people
who
are
in
that
situation,
not
to
sign
any
paperwork
at
the
event
of
the
fire,
because
there's
so
much
stress
and
so
much
concern
of
us
to
take
the
time,
stop
pull
back.
B
A
B
B
You
know,
through
the
direction
of
the
mayor
to
you,
know
to
simplify
that
system
as
bakht
as
much
as
we
possibly
can,
but
at
the
same
time
same
time,
maintaining
a
level
of
quality
to
make
sure
that
everything
that's
being
done
is
being
done
per
the
building
code
for
NFPA,
which
is
the
National
Fire
Prevention
code
and
make
sure
that
whatever
you're
doing
will
be
safe
and
proper
fees.
So.
A
B
Are
a
series
of
inspections
that
take
place?
The
permit
will
be
issued
once
the
excavation
is
done
and
again,
depending
upon
where
your
building
is
located
is
very
important,
because
in
some
areas
of
our
city
there
are
groundwater
issues
that
need
to
be
addressed
and
need
to
be
dealt
with.
There
are
different
soil
types
depending
upon
the
type
of
building
that
you're
putting
up.
There
are
unique
foundations
that
need
to
be
done.
A
B
Building
is
framed,
although
you
know
the
studs
are
in
place.
There'll
be
a
rough
inspection
to
make
sure
that
they're
framing
properly
according
to
industry
standards
in
the
Building
Code
and
then,
as
as
you
go
through
the
finishes,
we'll
also
have
more
inspections
there.
So
there
can
be
any
number
of
inspections
depending
upon
the
uniqueness
of
the
project
and.
B
Okay,
if
the
paperwork
is
aligned
properly,
the
answer
is
yes,
that's
why
signing
off
on
the
owner
exemption
is
not
something
that
I
strongly
recommend
for
complimented
up
complicated
projects?
Okay,
because
it
does
get
involved,
and
you
really
do
want
to
have
a
single
source
of
responsibility.
We're
always
told
that
construction
and
architecture
speak
their
own
language,
and
it
may
be
something
that
a
homeowner
is
not
familiar
with.
So
it's
really
important
that
the
contract
to
be,
in
our
opinion,
the
person
of
responsibility
and,
if
you're,
building
a
very
large
project
you
will
you're
architecting.
B
Your
engineers
will
be
retained
to
be
your
advocate
during
that
process,
and
it's
projects
get
real
big.
We
require
over
a
million
dollars,
we
required
there'd
be
a
clerk
of
the
works,
which
is
somebody
who's
literally
records
and
is
the
eyes
and
ears
of
what's
going
on
on
a
project
on
a
daily
basis.
They
are
required
to
submit
weekly
reports
to
inspectional
services
so
that
we
can
see
how
the
progress
is.
A
B
Very
important
in
you
know:
everybody
looks
at
it.
You
know
I
really
want
to
have
that
sunroom
built
on
my
house
and
I've
got
X
amount
of
dollars
to
do
it.
The
pre-construction
work
is
as
important
as
the
actual
construction
work,
because
the
worst
thing
that
you
can
do
is
get
into
a
contractual
relationship
that
you
have
no
protection
and
then,
if.
A
B
B
B
B
Or
you
know,
doors
aren't
closing
the
way
they
use
or
you
can't
open
a
window.
The
contractor
is
the
first
line
of
responsibility
to
come
in
and
make
sure
that
whatever
happened
gets
corrected
and
it's
it's
not
uncommon.
For
things
to
happen,
I
mean
construction
is
a
science,
but
it
also
involves
a
lot
of
different
factors.
Weather
can
have
a
big
impact
on
wood
structures
and
how
they
built
moisture
content
of
wood,
strengths
and
swells
foundation.
A
B
A
B
We've
worked
for
the
past
three
years
to
really
understand
the
whole
student
move-in
process,
and
we
think
we've
had
some
tremendous
success
last
year
during
student
move-in.
It
was
was
a
great
success
for
us,
because
the
Saturday
of
the
long
weekend
we
were
able
to
turn
the
streets
back
to
normal
streets,
done
the
looking
at
students
moving
in
and
moving
trucks.
All
over
exercise.
B
It
was,
it
was
through
the
efforts
of
all
the
city
resources,
Public
Works,
as
a
tremendous
part
of
the
fire
department's
tremendous
partner,
the
police
inspection
services,
the
health
department,
we've
worked
with
the
landlord's
and
the
universities.
The
universities
were
very
cooperative
at
the
mayor's
request
and
they
slid
some
of
their
start
dates.
The
landlord's
have
rewritten
some
of
their
leases.
So
what
was
a
three-day
event
years
ago
is
now
a
three-week
event.
B
B
To
work
the
long
weekend,
the
three
days
to
do
that
last
year,
we
actually
had
the
holiday
off
and
that's
the
first
time
in
ten
years
that
the
special
services
did
not
have
a
full
complement
out
in
the
communities,
because
there's
no
need
to
because
we
had
been
on
top
of
that.
We
had
coordinated
with
all
the
other
departments,
the
universities,
the
students
last
year,
I
felt
it
was
a
very
positive
event,
because
I
got
to
talk
to
a
lot
of
parents
about
their
children
living
here
in
Boston.
B
Was
like
was
tremendous
that
you
know
we
assure
them
that
the
way
they're
to
help
and
so
that
if
they
come
and
visit
their
child
and
there's
no
heat
in
the
child,
you
know
doesn't
want
a
call
because
they're
afraid
they're
going
to
be
evicted
or
things
like
that.
We
just
don't
do
that,
but
the
parents
will
be
quicker
to
call
to
say
you
know,
there's
no
heat
mine
in
the
apartment
or
there's
a
broken
window,
that's
not
being
repaired
and
we're
able
to
assist
them.
We
make.
A
B
B
On
do
the
housing
world?
Yes,
how
carefully
has
because
we're
more
proactive?
The
landlord's
have
been
tremendous
at
partnering
with
us.
As
I
said,
we
have
a
monthly
meeting
with
the
landlords,
universities
and
anybody
else
would
like
to
comment.
Inspectional
services.
We
had
a
Monday
night
of
this
week
and
we
go
over
to
what
our
expectations
on
what
our
goals
are.
We
also
share
what
the
landlord's
concerns
are,
what
are
their
problems
and
we
try
to
address
them
in
a
very
positive
way.
A
B
Just
two
things
I'd
like
to
check
about
that
is:
if
a
constituent
has
questions
okay
come
to
ISD
before
you
do
anything,
our
staff
is
more
than
ready
and
willing
to
help.
Excuse
me
to
assist
you
in
setting
direction.
We
cannot
make
recommendations
of
contractors
or
specific
people
to
use,
but
there
are
general
goals
and
expectations.
Then
we
can
help
you
look
at.
We
can
give
you
examples
of
other
things
that
we
have
seen
because.
B
Of
public
record
and
then,
if
you
have
a
complaint
or
a
concern,
please
use
three
one
one
is:
is
it
turned
out
to
be
a
phenomenal
tool?
People
can
do
it
anonymously.
If
they
choose
to
you
know
anyone
can
call
in
a
landline
anywhere
in
the
city
just
dial
through
one
one.
It
goes
right
into
the
call
center,
which
will
then
disseminate
the
call.
If
you
have
a
smart
phone
and
you've
downloaded
the
app
it's
it's
a
tremendous
tool.
Take.
A
A
A
A
You
great
make
sure
you
do
not
become
a
victim
to
unscrupulous
contractors.
Do
your
homework
before
making
any
improvements
to
your
home.
If
you'd,
like
more
information
about
the
services
that
the
inspection
or
services
department
provides,
please
visit
their
website.
Boston,
gov,
forward,
slash,
ISD
and
follow
them
on
twitter
at
ISD
boston.
You
can
also
contact
ISD
at
six
one,
seven,
six,
three,
five:
five:
three:
zero
zero,
and
as
always
thanks
for
watching
commissioner's
corner,
I'm
nadia
Massey.