Council to weigh rental licensing and inspection program

A long-debated move to a rental housing inspection and licensing program in Longmont will be weighed again by the City Council this week. A switch from the current system in which tenants largely complain about their housing conditions could cost the city $300,000 a year and progressively increase as rental units age, according to a city staff report.

The issue will be debated by the council during a video work session Tuesday night.

Longmont talked about moving to a rental housing and inspection program in 2003 to help revitalize Longmont neighborhoods. The idea cropped up again in 2009, in a response to the number of foreclosures and impacts on neighborhoods, the city staff report states.

Last year, council members asked city staff members to research the issue and to present options to consider before pursuing the notion again.

The city currently uses the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (or IPMC) to help reach compliance on issues raised by tenants about their housing conditions, the staff report states. Currently, the city averages about 60 complaints a year.

Longmont also introduced the Crime Free Housing program in May 2010, which partners the Police Department with landlords to keep their properties safe, the city staff report states. The program includes educating apartment owners about recognizing illegal activity; instilling crime prevention strategies and performing security evaluation inspections.

Owners that successfully complete the program, and the yearly audits, are awarded Crime Free Housing status, the staff report states.

Aurora, Boulder, Littleton and Westminster all license and/or inspect rental housing, the staff report states.

Most of the communities set a standard for when licensing and inspections are required, which is usually based on the number of attached units and the age of the structure. The communities focus on basic standards of health, safety and welfare and use the IPMC, with local amendments, the staff report states. Boulder also inspects exterior lighting for dark sky standards and the energy efficiency of the unit, the staff report states.

To inspect every attached rental unit that is eight years or older, every two years, would require three new housing inspectors. There are about 10,644 attached units in Longmont that are eight years or older, the staff report states.

An inspector could perform 70 inspections every two weeks, totalling 1,820 per year. From the start of the program, 5,322 units per year would need inspections, the report states.