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SECOND AND FINAL READING OF AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A LONG-TERM RENTAL REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION LICENSURE PROGRAM IN THE CITY OF COMMERCE CITY
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Summary and Background Information:
The purpose of this ordinance is to create a rental licensing and inspection program for rental units within Commerce City. Safe and stable housing provides a foundation that allows individuals, families, and communities to thrive. The renter community in Commerce City makes up a sizable portion of the population, but the City does not currently conduct proactive rental property inspections for health, safety, and habitability standards.
The program will protect the health and safety of tenants, improve the quality of rental housing within Commerce City, and ensure that landlords are meeting their responsibilities as property owners. The proposed program features two primary components - property registration and proactive rental inspections. The proposed program would require all property owners to enroll their properties into the program and submit their rental unit(s) to inspections once every three (3) years to ensure compliance with minimum life, health, and safety standards.
Staff recommends a per-unit fee structure for this program. City staff's proposed fees would be as follows: each rental unit would require a $150 licensing fee and a $87.11 inspection fee. This $237.11 over a three-year period equates to $79.04 per year for a rental unit that passes its inspection the first time, or $6.59 per month. Property owners will have the ability to pay this fee over the course of three years. This proposed fee structure is based on 100% cost recovery and an anticipated re-inspection rate of 60%. Staff intends to partner with property owners to achieve voluntary compliance with the program requirements whenever possible.
Based on the direction given by Council during the First Reading of this ordinance, staff has prepared two updated versions of the ordinance for Cou...
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