It was controversial and even lead to threats of legal action. There was eventually legislation by the state over its legality. In March 2015, the Hutchinson City Council approved establishment of a Rental Registration and Inspection Program.
But the city was forced to amend the program in June 2016 to comply with the new state statute. The change required tenant consent before conducting an interior rental inspection. The change basically took the teeth out of the city program, which was put in place to pressure landlords to keep their property up to standards. The program was also met with much resistance from landlords.
Now, after three years, the program may be eliminated. The Hutchinson Housing Commission will likely ask the City Council to do away with the program. The request will surely draw a lot of discussion by the council if and when it’s presented to them. The housing commission will meet Wednesday to consider discontinuing the rental inspection program at the end of the year. Another request to the council will be to explore alternative code enforcement methods for the city. Alternative codes might at least keep some type of watch over rental properties.
(Read more: Hutch Post)