MEMORANDUM
To: Mike Wildgen
City Manager
From: Debbie Van Saun
Asst. City Manager
Re: rental inspection update
Date: June 22, 2005
The following information is provided by Victor Torres and his staff in the Neighborhood Resources Department in response to a variety of questions regarding the status of the rental registration and inspection program.
Background Information The rental inspection licensing and inspection ordinance was adopted on April 10, 2001 and came into effect on February 1, 2002. As we enter our fourth year of enforcement we currently have 2,320 registered rental properties with over 2,100 initial inspections completed and over 1,100 re-inspections completed. The first year of the program we received a very high amount of applications, which resulted in a high number of inspections completed. In 2003 we encountered fewer applications therefore we became proactive in enforcement of the ordinance. Staff developed a program utilizing the city's geographic information system that identifies unregistered rental properties in single-family zoning districts. Mass mailings to property owners, field observation of rental signs, searches for rental advertisements in the Lawrence Journal World, and citizen complaints continue to help us identify non-complying rental units.
1) How many properties have been registered with the city?
As of May 31, 2005, 2304 properties have been registered as rental properties.
2) How many properties are still allowed to use the old definition of family, i.e., four unrelated people?
Ordinance 7324 enacted a zoning requirement for the registration of non-conforming uses created by the adoption of Ordinance 7323 amending the definition of family. Ordinance 7324 expired on August 1, 2004. The only remaining exemption is ordinance 7510, which allows rental properties in an area of Old West Lawrence that was rezoned from RM-D to RS-2 to continue the use of the old definition of family. The exemption created by ordinance 7510 expires August 1, 2005. The number of residences utilizing this exemption is not known.
3) How many inspections of rental properties have been completed to date?
As of May 31, 2005, 2180 initial inspections have been completed, 1252 re-inspections. Also, 112 properties have been inspected for a second time after the three-year time period specified by the ordinance between inspections.
4) Have any of the inspections revealed non-compliance with regard to the number of renters?
As of May 31, 2005, 38 properties have been inspected for which we found more than three renters. Appropriate action is taken to ensure compliance with the ordinance.
5) What information is available to the public with regard to a registered rental property?
A list of currently registered properties is available on the Neighborhood Resources Department website. This list is updated on a monthly basis. Additional information regarding the Rental Housing Inspection Program, including the ordinance, inspection checklist, etc. may be found on the website.
http://www.lawrenceneighres.org/RentalLicensing.shtml
6) What steps, if any, are being taken by the city staff to discover non- compliant, unregistered properties?
Staff developed a program utilizing the city’s geographic information system that identifies unregistered rental properties in single-family zoning districts. Two mass mailings were sent to property owners identified by the program, the first in July 2003 and the second in July 2004. Over 900 mailings were sent in 2003, and approximately 400 in 2004. Our case management can track initial inspection dates, re-inspection dates, failure to pay fees, failure to inspect, non-complying rental units, section 8 rental units, closed rental units and reasons they are no longer rental units. We are continually seeking out non-complying rental units by field observation (“For Rent” signs), searching for rent advertisements in the Lawrence Journal World, and investigating complaints from citizens.
9) What other information is available that would help gauge the effectiveness of the ordinances passed last year?
One method of evaluation may be the number of code violations identified through inspections. The most common violations tend to be the lack of GFCI receptacles above kitchen countertops and in bathrooms, inadequate combustion air for furnace and water heaters, and no smoke detectors. Other violations found on a less frequent basis include hazardous plumbing, hazardous electrical wiring and sleeping rooms in basements with no code compliant window for emergency escape. Property owners are notified of violations and permitted time for correction. Once violations have been corrected a re-inspection is scheduled. In some cases, non-compliant basement apartments were vacated.
Staff continues to find violations, particularly on properties inspected for the first time. The ordinance requires that properties be inspected every three years, and staff has begun making these “third year” inspections. Approximately 112 properties have been inspected for the second time. We expect the trend with these second inspections to be higher initial inspection approval rates, fewer interior violations, and a change in the most common violations found becoming exterior blight conditions such as structural blight, trash or storage in the yard.