More than a dozen people spoke in favor of creating a mandatory rental inspection ordinance in the City of Manhattan during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting. A majority of the commission was in favor of city staff further exploring a mandatory inspection program, but no ordinance was passed.
Since Manhattan’s rental registration program began in 2017, more than 13,000 rental properties have been filed with the city. Though the program does not require any mandatory code inspections, Manhattan Assistant Fire Chief Brad Claussen says they’ve performed about 99 per year since 2011 — when Manhattan’s mandatory inspection program was rescinded.
Commissioner Jerred McKee brought the topic forward and says he’s been working with renters and landlords for more than a year on the issue. He didn’t endorse any specific elements for a policy, but advocated the city look at the Lawrence model to build from.
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