Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Students living in old rental houses and apartments could see an increase in housing costs if new legislature passes in February. Lawrence’s Planning and Development Services Department will propose a new licensing plan to require all rental properties more than 50 years old to be licensed citywide.
Currently, only rental properties in zoned areas within the city require licensing. The proposed program would add an estimated 2,500 rental properties to the licensing grid.
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The fee for licensing will increase from $25 per rental property to $60. For rental properties that don’t currently have a license, they will be required to pay the new $60 fee.
Brian Jimenez, code enforcement manager of Planning and Development Services, said the goal of the program was to ensure safe living standards for renters and help maintain property values around the city. Jimenez said the fee increase would be used to fund three city positions, which are two housing inspectors and one licensing and inspection coordinator. Each rental property must be inspected at least once every three years.
Ryan Keast, Olathe junior, has had plumbing problems as a tenant before. Keast heard about many problems in older Lawrence apartments from others, including a friend whose apartment burned down because of electrical problems. Keast said he didn’t think the proposed plan would cause problems.
“It makes sense and it’s really not a huge increase assuming the tenants do pay for it,” Keats said. “I mean, they increase our rent 1 to 2 percent every year.”
The fee for licensing will increase from $25 per rental property to $60. For rental properties that don’t currently have a license, they will be required to pay the new $60 fee. This fee increase is the concern of many local landlords, such as Pedi Blevins, who owns properties on Tennessee.
“It’s pretty crappy,” Blevins said.
Blevins said she already paid a licensing fee for her rentals and thought the state of the economy put a strain on her expenses.
Candice Davis, another local landlord, said she supported the proposed expansion. Davis said she did not currently license any of her rental properties but supported the plan because of her concern about the safety issues in older Lawrence apartments.
“If you are a landlord, you are in a business and you have obligations to meet certain standards,” Davis said.
Landlords price their rentals competitively with those of newer apartment complexes and fear that a licensing fee increase, which might not affect newer apartment complexes for years, could affect their business.
Apartment complexes older than 50 years will be required to have a license for each rental space. Hampton Court, 1704 W. 24th St., for example, would reach the 50-year mark next year and Cedarwood Villa Apartments, 2411 Cedarwood Ave., would require a license in five years.
Landlords could pass the cost on to tenants by increasing the price of their rentals. To cover the cost of the license, landlords could raise rent five dollars per month for a currently unlicensed property.
Though a jump from $25 to $60 seems significant, the price for the license is typical compared to other counties and states.
The revision of the ordinance will also ensure there is a local agent acting as a correspondent for each rental property, even if the owner lives outside the city or state. This confirms the tenant is aware of future inspections and has someone to contact locally about concerns.
If an inspector appears unexpectedly, Jimenez said, the tenant has the right to refuse entry, even if the landlord is present for the inspection.
Most reports of code violations, however, come from the student population, Jimenez said. The city does not actively seek out code violations other than the inspection every three years for currently licensed rental properties.
— — Edited by Jesse Trimble
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