Florissant City Council Cracks Down on Rental Properties

The approved two ordinances Monday night pertaining to rental properties throughout the city.

The council unanimously passed bills 8829 and 8830 regarding rental residential properties, which councilors have discussed problems with those properties for months.

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Bill 8829, which is now ordinance 7889, establishes a definition for public nuisance under residential rental real estate section of city ordinances. The definition includes public nuisance to be described to include domestic violence, drugs and substances, tall weeds and grass, derelict cars and equipment.

The other bill allows for a $45 fee to be charged for inspections needing to be made to residential rental properties for any possible violations to owners of the property.

Resident John Engelmeyer asked council to consider a similar amendment for commercial properties.

City Attorney John Hessel explained that since the amendment deals with rental residential properties, the council would have to examine commercial properties on their own merits at another time.

Council President Keith Schildroth said that the amendments are the council’s way of tightening ordinances and taking care of residential properties.

Mayor Tom Schneider said this is the city’s aggressive approach to better handling rental residential properties.

“This gives us the tools we need to address problems we identified in rental housing,” Mayor Schneider said. “We’re not out to make life difficult for anyone who wants to maintain a rental property.”

He also said that while it won’t eliminate all of the bad apple that it would allow the city to reach a lot of them.