Every summer, Kevin Dougherty rents out his five-bedroom beach house, only two blocks from the water.
The prep is simple, he says.
His wife fills out a rental permit and inspection checklist printed from the city's website, and submits it to the construction office annually, confirming the property has smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. But following a rash of damaging fires earlier this year, the Cherry Hill business owner wonders whether a stricter system would add another layer of security.
"I don't know if (in-person inspections) would have stopped those," he said. "But it may help."
Four big blazes over the past year, which occurred under varying circumstances, culminated in the resignation of three "unqualified" city officials this month. The first came in November, followed by an Easter Sunday structure fire that destroyed four residential units. Over Memorial Day weekend, a family's home was burned down, and a month later, another fire injured two people.