Concerned about an uptick in rental units, Buffalo Grove officials are examining whether stricter inspections should be performed on such properties — a proposal that sparked a discussion among some village trustees over the role of government.
Under the proposed program, all rental properties — from single-family homes to large complexes — would be registered with the village.
The village would charge landlords a fee to perform mandatory inspections that would focus on health and safe housing standards.
Carol Berman, deputy building commissioner for administration, said such a program was badly needed.
With foreclosures increasing, more people have fixed up such properties and converted them into rentals, she said.
“Then all of a sudden we have a new problem in the community,” Berman said.
The village inspects multifamily buildings and common areas, but doesn’t inspect individual units or town houses that have been converted into rentals, she said.
Village staff estimated there are 2,000 rental units in the community.
Inspection fees, which could range from $75 for single-family units to $150 and more for larger apartment buildings, could potentially bring in $60,000 for the village during the first year, officials said.
During a discussion Monday, the proposal was too murky for some trustees, who worried about government involvement with personal property.
Village President Jeff Braiman felt the program established a double standard for homeowners and renters.
Inspectors are not allowed in someone’s home without permission, but if that home was rented, the occupants could be subjected to inspections.
“Why is it different if the person’s renting than living there?” Braiman said.
Deputy building commissioner for operations Brian Sheehan said that this would be an added protection for renters. Owners, he said, already have an obligation to maintain building standards, but some refuse to make needed repairs.
“Maybe somebody does need to be an advocate for the neighborhood and say, ‘Hey, you need to keep this property up in a condition that the rest of the community finds acceptable,'” Sheehan said.
But the idea of what the community finds acceptable may be hard to define, some trustees said.
“You’re talking about your standards for what your unit or rental property should be,” trustee Jeff Berman said. “That’s a matter of contract. That’s a civil matter between you and your landlord. Where do we draw the lines?”
Dane Bragg, the village manager, said rental inspections would simply mean more aggressive monitoring of existing building codes.
“In my experience … if you do have a problem rental property the only way to effectively deal with it is to have a registration inspection program,” he said. “Otherwise, it becomes very easy for a landlord to evade ordinance violations.”
Trustees requested more details on the proposed program. A decision isn’t likely until later this year.
