City's new rental regs make sense for many reasons

It wasn't the type of story that garners a lot of attention, but a story we reported recently could pay off in very important ways for city residents who rent houses and apartments.

The city of Cape Girardeau is revamping its rental-inspection program.

As reporter Mark Bliss wrote, the city hopes that the changes will allow the city to recoup more revenue to pay for inspections. But much more important is that some of the irresponsible landlords will have to pay more than those who keep their properties to proper standards.

The city previously has conducted inspections of rental property on a complaint basis, Bliss reported, inspecting about 700 rental units annually. Under the new plan, the city plans to inspect about 1,350 rental units each year, officials said.

The city would then have the authority to check every rental house, and make sure tenants are living in proper conditions.

Under the new plan, the city won't charge a fee for the initial inspection but will charge a $65 fee for second and subsequent inspections in cases where problems have been discovered with specific rental units.

We think this decision could have ripple benefits. The responsible landlords largely supported this plan. In theory, this change can improve property values and ensure tenants are living in safe buildings and spaces.

This was a good move by the city council.