Farmington Hills Officials Reject Proposed Rental Inspection Ordinance

officials on Monday rejected a proposed ordinance that would have required registration and inspections of rental homes.

Council member Randy Bruce said he was concerned that an increasing number of homes are being converted to rental properties. He felt the ordinance would protect renters, along with neighborhoods, when absentee owners don't keep up their properties. 

"This gives us the opportunity to do something proactively, instead of waiting until it's too late," he said. "I think it's another tool for us."

City manager Steve Brock said the idea was brought forward by two of the city's , who provided a series of recommendations last year.

But Mayor Barry Brickner, Mayor Pro Tem Nancy Bates, council members Cheryl Oliverio and Richard Lerner all felt the city's existing tools for dealing with blighted properties work well. They were also concerned about fairness and intruding on private property. 

"I'm opposed to this," Bates said. "We should treat all our citizens alike."

Lerner pointed out that the attractiveness of a neighborhood is an exterior issue, and the city has ordinances in place to address blight. "I'm not comfortable with our city inspectors going into homes uninvited," he added.

"There are a lot of homes that need to be ticketed that aren't ticketed," Oliverio said, adding she felt efforts should be directed toward cleaning up existing problems. 

Director of Planning and Community Development Dale Countegan said when inspectors look at blighted properties, they don't look at ownership. He said the city's four zoning officers and two building inspectors cover "a community of 35,000 dwelling units" and are "able to keep on top of it." 

Having to design a system that identifies single family rentals, he said, would "take up a lot of hours."