A new program that encourages rental property owners to follow housing codes will begin mid-February.
The Residential Rental Inspections program was approved by the Oshkosh common council after the city received numerous complaints and violations of housing codes. The program will hold landlords to a minimum inspection standards for health and safety issues such as plumbing and electrical.
Oshkosh city manager Mark Rohloff says the city will be divided into five sections of rental units. Inspection will focus on one section each year, making it a five-year program.
"This is something we've been working on for a number of years. We waited for a state law change so that when we implemented our ordinance, we were keeping what the ordinance was intended to do but we also had to comply with state law".
Rohloff says the state law was rewritten last year and it mandates that the city of Oshkosh inspects all rental properties. He says he doesn't think it's necessary but because the law was rewritten, they're required to inspect all units.
The city manager suspects that over time the program is going to get changed as a result of State law change. The city will focus on the areas with high concentration of rental properties including areas around the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and the east side of downtown Oshkosh.
Rental property owners are required to register and pay an inspection fee for each unit they own to help cover inspection cost.
Rental property owners must provide contact information for the rental unit by calling the inspection services division at (920)236-5050 or visiting the inspection services page www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/evolvepublic/.
