I think there are two issues at hand. The first is safety, and thus the liability to others. If your house is a fire hazard and you have nearby neighbors, the

I think there are two issues at hand. The first is safety, and thus the liability to others. If your house is a fire hazard and you have nearby neighbors, then some compulsory standards can be imposed. For rural areas, this justification of public welfare is often moot. In such a case, I'd much rather see inspection performed to arrive at a rating or assessment, rather than condemning a property. The top grade would be all but required for homeowners insurance, and would resemble the current code. You could have a more nebulous middle rating where no obvious dangers are present, but non-standard methods make it difficult to assess. Finally, there could a rating for buildings that are clearly a danger that may have some consequences. For instance, all occupants would have to be notified of the status, and perhaps children and animals could be forbidden to live in such structures. Or perhaps these structures could be condemned as before, but limited to extreme cases. Basically, it would be good to have a middle ground for adults willing to take on the risk.