Overreaching, that was what most landlords who spoke at last night’s meeting with the Washington City Council stated about the proposed rental housing inspections. Sixteen landlords spoke at the meeting, most opposed to the propsed draft resolution for inspections. Richard Gilmore, who was on the committee and is a landlord in Washington, said the goal is to register how many rental units are in the city and to make sure they are safe for tenants.

Another landlord, Tim Elliott proposed an alternative, where city staff calls tenants asking about plumbing, electric and other potential issues with the home. If the tenant states there are issues, then the city would inspect the property and go about fixing the problem, but if no problems were reported, the registered rental property would be left alone.

The inspection draft was based on the City of Creston’s code. Councilman Jaron Rosien stated that everyone is on the same team, trying to find a balance and what is right for the community.