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Independence introduced its Rental Ready program, which details the inspection requirements for rental properties in the city seven years ago.
It was met with derision from landlords.
“When this was put in place originally, I was opposed to it, because I didn't see the need for it,” Jared Fears, who owns eight rental properties in Independence, said. “I keep my property up, you know. I wouldn't hesitate to live in any of my properties.”
Now, Fears, who was elected to the Independence City Council in April 2022, has had a change of heart about the program and spearheaded the city’s effort to beef up its Rental Ready program.
“As I understand more now about how some places are kept, I do see the value in a process where we just make sure that property is kept up to a basic level that is safe,” he said.
The Independence City Council unanimously voted Jan. 21 to strengthen Rental Ready.
The process started last February as Independence sought to adopt the updated 2024 International Building Code, which it did in December.
The new ordinance requires smoke detectors in each unit, handrails on all stairs, and window stops on non-ground-floor units, and includes provisions for preventing water infiltration and maintaining interior walls and floors.
It also clarifies and specifies requirements for electrical systems, water heaters, and heating systems and also outlines when carbon-monoxide detectors and ground fault circuit interrupters are required.
It requires that, if provided by the landlord, air-conditioning systems and appliances must be properly installed and maintained.
Inspections are required every two years or upon change of tenant, whichever occurs later. But each unit must be inspected at least once every four years and it increases the percentage of units to be inspected every two years at apartment complexes from 10% to 50%.
Inspectors are required to keep records for at least four years and make them available for city inspection.
“That's a huge win honestly,” Hunter Stephens, a KC Tenants activist who lives at Independence Towers, said. “It's something that was a long time coming and it's gonna make things a lot better. “
A woman allegedly set fire to some units at Independence Towers last June and a child fell to his death from the ninth floor a month later.
The list of tenant complaints and maintenance issues there is long — and sadly not uncommon at some apartment complexes in Independence and beyond — but change is coming.
“These rental units are going to be inspected against more items,” Independence Community Development Director Tom Scannell said. “That means it's going to be a more livable and safer rental unit.”
At least, that’s the goal.
“That's really what the whole program is about, is making sure that the rental stock and independence is a safe place to be, safe place to live, safe place to grow your families,” Fears said.
Stephens said it’s a great start.
“This is a step in the right direction,” he said. “We've gotten commitments from council members to work with us in the future on phase two of the Rental Ready improvements. There's a lot that still needs to be done, but I'm excited to keep working with them to make those improvements.”
More than a dozen companies have been authorized to perform inspections, but advocates hope the city takes over at some point in an effort to provide more transparency.
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