The Elkhart City Council voted Monday night to approve a contested ordinance requiring all rental properties in the city to be registered and inspected every three years.
The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment from both landlords and tenants. The ordinance aims to ensure basic health and safety standards in rental housing, city officials said.
Councilwoman Tonda Hines defended the measure, saying the council’s intent was not to punish landlords, but to protect tenants and be proactive.
“We were thinking about safety and being proactive,” Hines said during the meeting. “And this is not to punish anyone.”
Landlord Carrie Nichols argued the ordinance targets responsible property owners while failing to address problematic tenants.
“For the tenants. Not for the landlord,” Nichols told the council. “The landlord’s gotta fight to get them out. The landlord has to fight to put the house back in order. The landlord has to fight the whole time.”
Councilman Dave Henke, who spent more than 30 years as a landlord, cast the lone dissenting vote. He raised concerns about fairness and the city’s capacity to enforce the ordinance effectively.
The measure passed with strong support from the rest of the council. Councilman Aaron Mischler pointed to similar programs in other cities as proof the ordinance can work.
The new law will require landlords to register rental units with the city and submit to routine inspections once every three years. City Communications Director Alex Otto said earlier this month that the goal is to ensure rentals meet minimum health and safety codes while holding negligent landlords accountable.
The ordinance will take effect later this year.
