After nearly a quarter of renters rate housing conditions as poor, city leaders question rental inspection program

For every 20 rental units in Lawrence today, only one was inspected by city staff in the past year. After a survey found a significant number of Lawrence residents describe their housing condition as poor, some city leaders are asking whether the city is doing enough inspections.

The resident survey, conducted as part of the city’s recent housing market analysis, indicated that 24 percent of renters rate their housing condition as poor. That percentage is higher for renters with children, at 32 percent. During the City Commission’s discussion of the housing condition responses Tuesday, commissioners questioned what that indicated about the city’s rental inspection program.

City Manager Tom Markus, who has more than 40 years of experience in municipal government, told commissioners that Lawrence has the “least aggressive” rental inspection program that he’s ever worked with.