The proposed rental housing inspection program will start up this fall. Earlier this month, the Oskaloosa City Council approved the final reading of the program on a 4-2 vote.

The program has received criticism from landlords in the community. But the city hopes the program will improve the quality and safety of rental housing in Oskaloosa.

“Concerns of being, affecting, so called, good landlords, we want to be careful of that as well. That we're not creating too much burden. And so there's always a balancing process of how we ensure a fair inspection process, while at the same time not being overly burdensome to those who are willingly complying with all regulations,” says Development Services Director Andrew Jensen.

Each rental property will be inspected at least once every three years by an outside contractor out of Johnston called Iowa Inspections. The city is holding three informational sessions over the next couple of months. The meetings will cover topics such as registration, cost and scheduling inspections. The session is aimed at answering questions and providing information for landlords. But anyone from the public is welcome to attend.

"We want all landlords to go into this program with their eyes wide open, know all of the expectations well in advance so that they can get their properties ready for the inspection. We don't want to surprise anybody with this. We've been talking about it for a long time, though, probably not everybody knows what the specific requirements are. So we're going to have the informational meetings to be able to talk through any details that people have questions on. Whether it's general or specific to their properties,” Jensen says.

The three informational sessions will be held on Thursday, May 4, on Tuesday, May 30 and on Tuesday, June 27. All three meetings will be held at the Oskaloosa Public Library at 6 p.m. You can also find more information on the program by visiting the city's website listed on your screen.

The city is estimating that the revenue generated by the program would offset what the program costs the city. The program is expected to generate just a little under $28,000.

On an average three-year period, it would be an annual cost of $40 for a single family rental, $63 for a duplex, $110 for a fourplex, and $250 for a 10-unit apartment. Those figures include an annual city registration fee and paying for one inspection in a three-year period. That number could be higher if additional inspections are needed. However, if a unit passes the inspection on year one, then it would not require an inspection until year four.

You can read the revenue calculations from the city, right here.