When they met Tuesday, Leavenworth city commissioners discussed the possibility of a licensing and inspection program for rental properties.
Mayor Mark Preisinger stressed that commissioners were not taking any action Tuesday.
“This is going to be a long process,” he said.
City Planner Julie Hurley said exploring a possible rental inspection program was a goal set this year by commissioners.
She said more than 50 percent of residential properties in the city are rental units. She said city staff believe about 6,100 addresses in the city are likely rental properties.
She said the city is contacted regarding complaints about rental units. She said the city contracts with the Welcome Central organization to manage a landlord-tenant mediation program. In 2009, the city initiated a rental registration program which required a one-time registration of rental properties. Hurley said inspections were not required for this program.
She said city staff have identified 13 other cities in Kansas that have enacted rental inspection programs.
“We looked at all 13 programs,” she said.
She said a common thread of the programs is a requirement for rental licenses. She said this allows cities to keep track of rental properties.
(Read more: Leavenworth Times)