Elkhart landlords pushed back this week against a proposed rental registration ordinance the City Council plans to vote on Monday.
The ordinance would require all rental units in the city to be registered and undergo inspection every three years. The council held its first reading of the proposal in early April.
City Communications Director Alex Otto said the ordinance aims to ensure rental properties meet basic health and safety standards.
“The rental registry requires that those rentals are meeting minimum health and safety standards,” Otto said. “So this now validates those who are doing it right and puts pressure on those who are not.”
A public forum held last week drew a crowd—mainly landlords—who voiced strong opposition to the proposal. Many expressed concern that the inspection process would be unmanageable and could intrude on tenant privacy.
Landlord Dave Blessing questioned the logistics of enforcing the ordinance with limited staff.
“I only heard one inspector being proposed,” Blessing said. “I've heard 3,500 units. That’s 16 inspections a day to hit those numbers. Has anybody done that calculation?”
After 14 individuals spoke against the measure, Councilman David Henke moved to keep the ordinance in committee. The motion failed.
