An ordinance establishing basic standards for all rental housing is in the works for the city of Jackson.
The ordinance, which Aaron Banks of Ward 6 introduced at the March 8 city council meeting, would establish registration requirements for landlords and set administrative and enforcement regulations including penalties.
The council referred the ordinance Banks proposed to one of its committees for further study.
At the same meeting, Jordan Hillman, director of planning and development for the city of Jackson, told the council her department is finalizing an ordinance similar to the one Banks introduced that would be tailored for Jackson and plans to bring it to the council later this year.
Chloe Dodson, deputy director of planning and development, is obtaining input from apartment owners and larger landlords so the ordinance is fair to them and addresses tenant issues, Hillman said.
With more than 27,000 rental properties in the city, there would be numerous practical issues to work through when it comes to implementing a registration system, she said.
Ashby Foote of Ward 1 asked Hillman if short-term rental accommodations like those offered by Airbnb would be covered by the ordinance, and she said they would be.
“We’re not prescribing where they should be, but we want to get them registered so if there are any problems, we have a path to resolve those problems,” Hillman said.
Foote has said repeatedly that short-term rentals such as an Airbnb should be regulated.
Morrell Richardson, an owner and spokesperson for a condo association along Lakeland Drive near Mayes Lake, complained to Foote last fall about a condo next to his that is an Airbnb listing. Richardson said it has not been a pleasant experience with guests coming and going and that the owner of the condo is difficult to reach.
The ordinance Banks introduced would include manufactured homes, single family homes and multifamily units and is intended to establish standards that would prevent or correct slum and blighted conditions, protect the health, safety and welfare of the community and establish protection against illegal collection practices including using third-party utility collections.
Banks was motivated to introduce the ordinance because he has heard stories about an out-of-state property management group that owns rental houses in the metro area forcing renters to pay all of their utility bills to them and then evicting them if they do not.
The ordinance would set an annual $25 fee per dwelling unit payable upon application for registration.
Before the Community Development Department would issue a registration, the applicant must authorize an inspection of the property for which an application for registration has been made, according to the proposed ordinance.
A late fee would be assessed at $10 per unit multiplied by the number of months the registration is past due, according to the proposed ordinance. An additional $350 fee would be assessed for a dwelling out of compliance for more than 90 days and a $350 fee would be assessed for failing to register a dwelling unit within 90 days of attaining a new one or transferring ownership of a property, according to the proposed ordinance.
The proposed ordinance would also require each rental housing unit to have a kitchen or kitchen area with space to store, prepare and serve food in a sanitary manner and be equipped with an oven and range or stove, a refrigerator that works, countertops that can be easily cleaned and are free of holes, break or cracks, and floors free from tripping hazards.
John Lewis of John R. Lewis Real Estate, which is known for rental properties in the Belhaven neighborhood, applauds the efforts aimed at improving rental property in the city.
He hopes the city’s efforts will focus on landlords who do not maintain their property.
“I would encourage the city to make the new steps for landlords as minimal as possible, yet as effective possible,” he said, noting that adding new requirements doesn’t always achieve the desired results.
The city of Ridgeland has had a rental inspection procedure for residential property in place for more than 20 years.
“We do require an application to be completed for a new rental property, and we require inspections on rental property each time the unit is vacated and prior to occupancy by a new tenant,” said Alan Hart, director of public works for the city of Ridgeland.
“The fee is $50 for the first inspection and $50 for each re-inspection if the unit fails inspection.”
The city of Madison also regulates residential rental property.
A landlord, who owns residential rental property in the city of Madison, must complete an application with the city of Madison, submit an annual $500 fee, provide a $25,000 bond and show a deed of ownership for each piece of residential rental property, said Beth Durrett, an employee of the city of Madison who handles the residential rental property registration process.
“The properties are annually inspected,” she said. “When a new tenant moves in, the property must pass an inspection for a tenant to take occupancy.”
