City inspections are now required when a new tenant moves into a rental house in Tallassee.
The Tallassee City Council passed the ordinance at its Tuesday meeting following a spirited public hearing on the matter. City leaders have said a rental ordinance is needed to ensure properties are livable. Much of the discussion centered around the unknown.
Joey Scarborough owns rental property in Tallassee.
“I'm not completely opposed to it,” Scarborough told the council. “What I'm a little worried about is how we're going to implement it.”
Scarborough said his family does a good job at keeping up their rental properties but is worried about how long an inspection might take.
“Is it going to take our property out for a month waiting on somebody to come inspect it?” Scarborough asked.
Cliff Williams / TPI Tallassee officials say the new rental ordinance is in response to the condition of some rental homes.
Property owner Jason Price also asked about the length of time to get an inspection. He said he was often working out of town making it difficult to meet inspectors during normal business hours.
“What do we do when we have a tenant ready to move in?” Price asked.
Tallassee Mayor Sarah Hill the process would be adjusted as needed to speed the inspection process, which would be conducted by employees and contractors.
Hill said the ordinance and its inspections are needed because about 60% of the homes in Tallassee are rental properties and many are unkept or unsafe.
“We can’t regulate civic pride, but we can regulate safety and hygiene,” Hill said.
Tallassee fire chief and code enforcement officer Eric Jones said the inspections would follow the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code.
“This code shall be construed to secure its expressed intent, which is to ensure public health, safety and welfare insofar as they are affected by the continued occupancy and maintenance of structures and premises,” the code states. “Existing structures and premises that do not comply with these provisions shall be altered or repaired to provide a minimum level of health and safety as required.”
Jones said if a rental home is deemed unsafe it is unrentable until the issues are resolved.
Many of the homes in question were constructed to house the employees of textile mills.
Tallassee city building inspector Trey Taylor said the power meter of many homes has been pulled.
“The power company will not cut the power back on until a disconnect is installed,” Taylor said.
Price said many of the mill houses only have two electrical circuits. He said they were being added on to help heat homes because of the expense of gas.
The code calls for structures to be called unfit for occupancy when deemed to be unsafe, have unsafe equipment or the structure is unfit.
Jones said he has been on calls with the fire department where a rental home had no toilet.
“They are using a bucket or a hole,” Jones said. “There's no reason for that. People shouldn't be living there. They're paying rent and what I've heard for what they pay for rent is ridiculous, especially for the living conditions of what they're living in.”
Hill said not all rental property owners are bad. Some want to buy property and fix them up. Others are not interested in selling or fixing up their properties.
“It's not about the money,” Hill said. “It's just about what they can control. There are things in these that I've heard horror stories of the amount of stuff that's going on in these houses that are unsafe, unhygienic, causing sickness, causing problems.”
The city will not cut on the water to a rental property without it passing an inspection first.
Hill and Jones understand the first few months will be hectic as the city and property owners figure out the process. It’s a similar ordinance passed in the past in Alexander City, Opelika and Gadsden.
The ordinance does not apply to Section 8 housing. Those are governed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In Alexander City, HUD standards were higher than those in the rental ordinance.
“Federal law supersedes a state, county or city (regulation),” Tallassee city attorney John Smith said. “The city can’t regulate those properties.”