Rental Inspection Program

City Council directed staff to convene a committee of landlords, tenants and community stakeholders to discuss what a proactive Rental Inspection Program should look like for McMinnville and to bring something forward that is cost neutral to the City’s General Fund, and the McMinnville taxpayer, for the City Council to consider at the end of this calendar year with a targeted implementation start in 2022.

Program Overview:
In August of 2020, McMinnville City Council voted unanimously to create a Rental Housing Inspection Program in McMinnville that advocates for housing equity for all tenants in McMinnville through the development of minimum standards of housing habitability from a perspective of livability, safety and welfare.  After receiving reports of substandard living conditions in McMinnville’s rental housing, the City evaluated what other communities doe to establish minimum standards for safety and livability. Through that research, city staff learned that many communities have  Rental Housing Inspection Programs to establish minimum standards of maintenance and habitability. The program acts as an oversight to inspect rental housing throughout the community to ensure that rental properties maintain that minimum standard.  Minimum standards include: availability of running water, sanitation facilities, appropriate fire and smoke alarms, ability to maintain a minimum standard of heat, working electrical outlets, structural integrity of the housing unit, and that emergency exit systems are operable.

In August, 2020, the McMinnville City Council adopted the International Property Maintenance Code which is an industry standard for basic housing performance.  The City is now tasked to develop an inspection program that is fair, equitable and transparent to ensure that landlords are maintaining rental housing to the adopted minimum standards.

Research shows that tenants who are the most at risk of experiencing unhealthy or unsafe living environments are people living with disabilities, senior citizens, families of low-income, and families experiencing language barriers. These groups are also the least likely to complain about their living environment due to fear of losing their housing, retaliation from their landlord, and the inability to obtain future housing due to discriminatory practices.  A proactive Rental Housing Inspection Program ensures that all rental housing is held to the same standard, and that McMinnville’s most vulnerable residents are protected from substandard conditions.  There are approximately 4900 rental units in McMinnville housing approximately 12,400 residents. 

This program will also help preserve the quality of McMinnville neighborhoods by providing regular oversight so that available housing does not become substandard.

For more information about the program, please contact Nic Miles, City of McMinnville Code Compliance and Community Relations, 231 NE Fifth St, McMinnville OR 97128, (503) 434-7305, Nic.Miles@mcminnvilleoregon.gov.

Committee Members:
Andrew Burton
Joan Drabkin
Katherine Martin
Sal Peralta
Mary Piper
Vickie Ybarguen

Meeting Dates:
April 27, 2021 Agenda
June 29, 2021 Agenda
July 27, 2021 Agenda & Meeting Material
August 24, 2021 Agenda & Meeting Material
October 26, 2021 Agenda & Meeting Material

Supporting Documents:
Proactive Rental Inspection Programs Guide