Rental inspection program approved

Dan Kulin

Thursday, Aug. 19, 2004 | 9:53 a.m.

A proposed North Las Vegas rental inspection program was supported by the City Council on Wednesday, putting the city on track to be the first in the state with such a program.

Comments will be gathered at two public meetings and a business impact meeting before the proposal returns to the council for final approval. City Manager Gregory Rose said the rental inspection program, named the Proactive Rental Enforcement Program, could be up and running by June.

The plan, which was proposed by Rose, would charge landlords $50 per rental unit annually and mandate at least annual inspections of every rental household.

Rose said the program would protect public safety by ensuring safe living conditions, encouraging reinvestment in properties and promoting redevelopment.

Mayor Michael Montandon said the proposed program is an example of the city making rules to deal with the exceptions -- in this case landlords who rent substandard housing.

Montandon said the program poses a "very difficult decision" for him because as a conservative he finds it difficult to say how much government should stick its nose into private business.

Mike Levin, government affairs director for the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, said the group "is definitely not against an ordinance like this being implemented."

But Levin said they are concerned about the details of such a program, particularly how strict city inspectors would be. For example, he said, an inspector who saw a pile of laundry on top of a washing machine might say it was a fire hazard.

Councilwoman Shari Buck said city inspectors should not tell people they need to clean up a messy bathroom.

Rose has said the inspections would focus on health and safety standards, such as making sure electric wiring is up to code, smoke detectors work and there are no holes in the roof.

According to city documents, about 23,260 of 42,000 homes in the city are rentals.

The program is projected to essentially break even, with $1,163,000 in revenue and $1,162,468 in annual expenses.

Landlords would be given at least 14 days' notice of a coming inspection, then would be given no more than 90 days to fix any problems uncovered during an inspection, according to city documents.

Rose said Wednesday that the city would probably be lenient with the time requirements for property owners who are actively working to fix whatever problems they have.

The proposed program also includes a so-called platinum properties incentive program, which would give landlords with exceptionally well-kept properties a one-year break from the fee.

New construction would be exempt from the program for two years.

In other City Council action, pay raises worth $9,500 for North Las Vegas City Attorney Sean McGowan were formally approved by the City Council on Wednesday.

The raises, $5,000 retroactive to Aug. 1, plus $4,500 on Jan. 1, will bring McGowan's annual salary to $149,000. The council voted 5-0 to approve the raises.

The council initially supported the raises following a closed-door meeting on July 21.

McGowan's base salary is less than Henderson's attorney and more than the Las Vegas attorney receives. However, McGowan does not receive a car allowance as some of his peers in other cities do.