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.,- tar Tribune/Thursday/September 27/1a90 .~,jw Landlords oppose licensing laws . They say standards higher than for homeowners By Pat Prince Staff Writer ,When Minneapolis recently passed an ordinance requiring the licensing and inspection of rental property, it was following the lead of several suburbs that have been regulating rental housing for years. But as in Minneapolis, Crystal and S1. Louis Park are finding that licensing landlords and in- specting their property is politi- cally sensitive. Landlords object to licensing fees and the prospect of inspectors pOking around in their buildings. Some complain that they are being held to a high- er standard of maintenance than homeowners. One of the more controversial as- pects of some ordinances, espe- cially the one proposed in St. Louis Park, is the provision that) makes landlords responsible for their tenants' conduct. "Under the new ordinance, I'd get a citation if a tenant doesn't shov. el the snow on his sidewalk or parks his motorcycle by the door, or if there are weeds or the grass needs cutting," said Gary Bers. cheid, who owns several single- family rental houses in St. Louis Park. "Many times I don't have control over a tenant's action." Berscheid identifies himself as the chief rabble-rouser of a group of landlords in the city who oppose the proposed inspection ordi- nance. While he supports licensing and inspection, he feels the plan is too costly and unduly harsh on land. lords. His group, which has hired an attorney to review the ordi- nance, also objects to the fact that rental houses would have to have paved parking spots, while that requirement isn't imposed on neighboring owner-occupied houses. But like it or not, the licensing of rental housing appears to be a wave of the future. Nationally, housing and tenants rights organi- zations support the policy as a way to ensure that tenants live in safe house. Since the late I 960s, larger cities have increasingly adopted the practice to combat blight by preserving their aging housing stock. In addition to Minneapolis, sever. al cities, including Robbinsdale, Columbia Heights, Richfield and Bloomington, have recently en- acted such ordinances. The ordi- nances vary, but most involve an- '"'1' nr ",,"tnt- n.d . , Staff Photo by Rita Reed \ Newton Parker, Robblnsdale hou~lng Inspector, uncovered an Improperly Installed fight' fixture In a rental property. "Even though we're Inconveniencing good landlords, every other week I find a situation that Is so dangerous that someone'sllfe Is In danger, where Injury or death was Imminent," he said. Some, like Bloomington' and C0- lumbia Heights, have licensed large apartment buildings for years and have recently extended the policy to include inspections of single- and two-family ,rental dwellings. , 'Another problem is idenfifying Fridley has licensed all rental buildings that include rental properties for years" but, with'\' units. In Robbinsdale, housing in. only one full-time inspector, the spector Newton Parker identifies city has conducted inspections rental properties by checking out only when tenants complain. houses with more than one elec- trical meter or those that generate more garbage than would be ex- pected from one family: The next step'is to buy newspaper adS ask- ing tenants to telephone if their landlords haven't posted a li- cense. \ , ' '.' Some landlords say they will have to pass the fees to tenants, who, the landlords say, will question Columbia Heights, which charges $15 for a single-family house in- spection, took the novel approach of drafting two firefighters to con- duct inspections when they're not putting out fires. Having the staff to make the in- spections is one of the biggest problems. S1. Louis Park, which has delayed action on the issue until Oct. I, intends to hire an . extra inspector and staff member. The fees paid by landlords are expected to pay for the program. ' Landlords have objected to the\ proposed fee, $50,a year and $35 inspections. But Robbinsdale's Parker said the benefits to tenants are obvious. Rental properties are especially likely to have work done by do-it- yourselfers who don't really know what they're doing, he said. "Even though we're inconven- iencing good landlords, every oth- er week I find a situation that is so dangerous that someone's life is in danger, where injury or death was imminent," he said. "That includes gas leaks, a gas can next to a furnace, or a broken chimney that's not obvious from outside. Even though we're 'hot potatoes politically, sometimes it makes it , all worth it when we come across those cases where someone really is in jeopardv,"