Thanks to California's new Carbon Monoxide Poison Prevention act Senate Bill SB-183 this has become a reality. As of July 2011 all single family homes with an attached garage must have a carbon monoxide detector installed inside of the house.

How will the lender know if I have a Carbon Monoxide Detector?

Appraisers are now required to indicate if a Carbon Monoxide Detector is present in the appraisal inspection report. If one is not installed the appraiser will make a comment in the initial appraisal report. The bank's underwriter will then condition the borrower to install a detector in the subject property. However, the underwriter is not going to take your word that you installed the detector. The bank will then most likely require the appraiser to back out to the property again a second time to verify that the detector has been installed. Guess who pays for the appraiser to re-inspect the house? The borrower will have to pay an additional 100- 150 dollars for re-inspection.

If you are applying for a home loan (purchase or refinance) do yourself a favor and head down to your local hardware store and pick yourself up one of these nifty detectors, you should be able to find one for less than 30 dollars. It could save a life or at least 100 bucks.