Network & Be Informed: KCMO Rental Registration and Inspections

[Kim Tucker]

Attention Bigger Pockets Investors who invest in Kansas City:   Full Details posted here:  

http://www.marei.org/kansas-city-missouri-healthy-homes-ordianance-170589/

Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner and the Kansas City Missouri Health Department content that the city does not currently have regulation to ensure that rental housing units have minimum health and safety standards, that there are over 65,000 rental properties in Kansas City and that half the population of the city lives in rental properties. They are receiving increasing numbers of complaints on rental properties of unsafe and unhealthy conditions and due to lack of enforcement, these complaints go unanswered. They want to help children grow and flourish by ensuring minimum health and safety in rental housing. By Adopting the Healthy Homes Ordinance 170589 the Health Department is optimistic that all residents, will live in healthy homes free of lead, mold, poor air quality and safety hazards.

Read the more from the City

• Proposed Ordinance
• Summary
• City Fact Sheet
• City Inspection List

Our group of Property Owners that include members and concerned followers of Landlords Inc., Landlords of Eastern Jackson County, WinVestor’s, Mid-America Association of Real Estate Investors and Missouri Property Owners agree with the city that all children and families have the right to a Healthy Home, including those in rental property as well as owner occupied homes. That this ordinance forgets those not in rental property. We agree that many of the complaints made of unsafe and unhealthy conditions are not being met due to lack of enforcement of current laws.

The City currently has a rental registration law. The city currently has housing codes and codes inspectors and at any time a tenant should be able to invite an inspector into their home and the inspector could through existing rules and regulations require the property owner to make repairs or face fines or ultimately lose their certificate of occupancy and could force the residents to move out. These current laws already address healthy and safe housing for all citizens of the city.

The Proposed Ordinance would create a new Director with broad and reaching powers to change the law, change fines and fees, and to determine when to enter a Rental Property. The Ordinance would require a $25 permit fee every year with a $15 a month late fee for not registering or renewing annually. Plus reinspection fees, when violations were found, fines and jail time for not complying.

The Director could at determine to enter the property at any time that he determines the tenants are in danger or based on a complaint. It does not specifically layout who can lodge a complaint. If the Tenant refuses entry, which is a Tenant’s Right under the 4th Amendment, the city can revoke a rental permit, which would then create other issues and consequences that we don’t think the city has thought through.

Please Take Action

We are asking that all concerned citizens attend one or all of the following meetings, that when you do attend that you wear yellow, and that you further reach out to the City Council Committee and your City Council Person where you own properties where you own properties.

Attend a meeting

• Tuesday, August 22nd: Landlords Inc Meeting, will be discussing this issue. It is 6:30 pm at the Central United Methodist Church located at 5144 Oak in Kansas City Missouri Click Here for More Info
• Wednesday, August 23rd: City Council Committee Meeting to further discuss the Ordinance and to determine if they will send it to the full city council. 11 AM City Hall at 414 E 12th Street, Kansas City Missouri, 26th Floor – Wear Yellow (Click here to RSVP)
• Thursday, August 24th: City Council Working Session at the Health Department. 10:30 am at 2400 Troost Ave, Suite 4600, Samuel Rodgers Conference Room B, Kansas City Missouri 64108. We are not sure if the public can attend, but if you get in, wear yellow. (Click here to RSVP)
• Thursday, August 24th, City Council Meeting.  3:00 PM City Hall, 26th Floor.  Please Wear Yellow . (Click here to RSVP)

Talking Points

• There are already sufficient laws on the books. Don’t create new ones, enforce the ones you already have.
• The Ordinance has many issues that need to be refined before it is sent to a vote. It is not good government to vote in a law and then find out what is in it and fix it, that’s how we ended up with current Health Care.
• The Ordinance does not meet the goal of helping all children when it is only targeting the half of the city population that lives in rentals. What about the other 50% that live in their own homes?
• The Ordinance will reduce the number of quality affordable housing units as the costs involved will be passed on in the form of higher rents and the small housing provider who cannot afford the time or money involved will either sell out to the bigger operators, like hedge funds or in some cases abandon the properties to foreclosure and taxes.
• The ordinance is targeting all landlords, the 99 % who already comply and provide quality housing as well as the slumlords, the 1% who do not comply. Why not work with the 99% to find workable solutions to vacant and abandon housing and urban core revitalization?
• The 1% who does not comply now, how are they going to force them into compliance. We doubt judicial action will actually put a slumlord in jail for up to “180 days” and those judgments of $1000 fines levied against owners and properties will ever get paid, but rather become just another fee sitting out there waiting for the owner to sell, get foreclosed upon or to abandon the home to taxes.
• Singling out one class of Rental Citizen could be a violation of fair housing on behalf of the city. And as the majority of renters could be thought to be minority, requiring them to submit to inspections, could have the similar consequences ad racial profiling by the police.

We have a rather lengthy press release that addresses all these issues more in dept and we invite you to click here to download it and read it.

Send an Email or Make a Phone Call:

Suggested Email below, please be sure to edit areas in bold.

People to Contact

See this map to determine what City Council district your residence or investment property is in. The contact information for each City Council member follows and those Highlighted in Red are on the Committee that meets Wednesday

Mayor Sly James: http://kcmayor.org/contact/contact-us

1st District:
Scott Wagner, Mayor Pro-Tem,
At-Large, Member of the Housing Committee:

[email protected]
[email protected] (the Councilman’s legislative aide)Heather Hall:
[email protected]2nd District:
Teresa Loar,
At-Large, Member of the Housing Committee:
[email protected]

Dan Fowler, Vice-Chair of the Housing Committee:
[email protected]3rd District:
Quinton Lucas,
At-Large, Chair of the Housing Committee: [email protected]

Jermaine Reed: http://kcthird.com/contact-us/

You must go to his website to sumbit an email or try [email protected]

4th District
Katheryn Shields,
At-Large:
[email protected]

Jolie Justus:
[email protected]

5th District:
Lee Barnes, At-Large:

[email protected]
[email protected] (the Councilman’s legislative aide)Alissia Canady, Member of the Housing Committee:

[email protected]
[email protected] (the Councilwoman’s legislative aide)6th District:
Scott Taylor, At-Large:
[email protected] (the Councilman’s legislative aide)

Kevin McManus:
[email protected] (the Councilman’s legislative aide)

If this measure makes it to the ballot and passes in November, it will become much more difficult to get a bill that bans illegal interior inspections passed in the Missouri legislature in 2018 – which means government-mandated inspectors will soon be crawling through tenants’ living spaces all over the state. It’s a lot easier to stop this now, with five City Council votes, than it is to try to stop it with 200,000+ votes at the general election!