Latest West Carrollton proposal
| By:
Fellow GDREIA Members
Latest West Carrollton proposal The City of West Carrollton has a new housing inspection proposal in the works following consultation with rental property industry advocates, including GDREIA.
Planning director Greg Gaines told West Carrollton City Council about the new proposal during the city council’s meeting 11/8/16. The new version removes an earlier requirement for landlord licenses and annual fees. It also eliminates mandatory periodic indoor inspections of rental properties. Under the new plan, exterior inspections of properties would be conducted every two years at no charge. The proposal would grant code inspectors the right to inspect the side and back yards of the properties and the common interior areas of apartment buildings. Properties found to have code violations would be subject to an $87 re-inspection fee. A new feature of the proposed program is a planned landlord education effort, which will be developed with the assistance of both GDREIA and the Greater Dayton Apartment Association.In lieu of requiring city landlord licenses, the new proposal enforces an existing Montgomery County landlord registration requirement. The county registration program does not charge a fee – but owners of rental property in West Carrollton would be subject to a $150 fine (in addition to other possible penalties) for failing to register with the county by June 30, 2017.Gaines said the city will also appoint an ombudsman to improve communication between rental property owners and the city.The landlord education effort will be modelled after a program run by the City of Kettering. Its aim will be to help rental property owners understand their rights and responsibilities in maintaining their properties. It would include mandatory courses for property owners who are repeatedly flagged for maintenance code violations.At the meeting, GDREIA’s Sham Reddy thanked city officials “for working with us over the past 14 months” to “craft a solution” to problems with rental property in the city. “We commit to working with you,” he added. Reddy said there are a small number of problem landlords in the city. The new landlord education program will help, he said.“Send them to us instead of to jail,” Reddy added.Chris Melvin of the Greater Dayton Apartment Association also expressed his support for the new proposal.“This program could serve as a model for other cities,” Melvin said.This will be West Carrollton’s third rental property inspection proposal in little more than a year. Gaines said the proposals represent an effort to improve the condition of rental properties, which he said account for 42 percent of residential housing in the city.Gaines said the new proposal will be formally presented to council November 22, 2016.