Chesterfield rental-inspection program raises eyebrows

A proposed rental-inspection program that might allow interior and exterior inspections of rental homes -- and charge the owner $100 for the service -- is raising eyebrows in Chesterfield County.

The program, which looks for building and zoning code violations, is designed to help keep occupants safe and neighborhoods blight-free while maintaining area property values.

Based on a directive last year from the county's Board of Supervisors, county staff started a "proactive inspection program" for owner-occupied homes, moving away from the county's complaint-based method.

That much has gone well, said William D. "Bill" Dupler, the county's director of building inspections.

"We really had great success with this program," he said. "We got a lot of positive reaction from citizens. The most common comment we got, 'Well, it's about time somebody came out here to our neighborhoods and helped us.'"

Staffers have completed preliminary inspections of 595 single-family homes. By advertising with doorknob hangers two weeks before the inspections, the county has seen a 54 percent reduction in the number of homes with potential violations, Dupler said.

But the next step -- instituting the rental-inspection program -- will prove more challenging.

The county has identified potential inspection districts based on age, blight and deterioration. Inspectors would notify owners that their property had been selected for inspection, and the owners would pay a $100 fee for the interior and exterior inspections. If they refuse, the county could take them to court.

Inspectors would look for structural defects, debris in yards, bad flooring, a lack of smoke detectors, and furnace and plumbing violations, among other problems.

In the program's first year, Dupler said 8,000 homes' exteriors could be inspected. About 1,400 rental inspections could be conducted.

If there were no violations, the property would be given a certificate good for a four-year exemption from inspection. If numerous violations were found, a warning would be issued and a follow-up conducted. Upon passage, a one-year certificate would be issued.

While the proactive inspections have been well-received by the community, the rental program has its detractors.

"This proposal appears to be government expansion and intrusion into the private lives of citizens," said resident Stan Kennedy, who presented the Board of Supervisors with 18 questions and concerns regarding the program at its last meeting.

"Please let we the people handle our own properties as the rights of individual citizens. Let the marketplace determine whether rental properties will continue to be rented or not by the demand of the private renters."

The supervisors deferred any further consideration until their Oct. 28 meeting, some expressing privacy and cost concerns.

"I think the exterior part of it is excellent. I just feel that interior is more a relationship between a landlord and a tenant," said Bermuda District Supervisor Dorothy A. Jaeckle.

"I'm just concerned that with building permits down, the perception of the public is going to be, 'Well, the county needed to look for something to do, so they're having people go in and inspecting people's houses,'" she added.

Board Chairman A.S. "Art" Warren said he had hoped that the program would pay for itself, but after being told fees would cover only half the cost at most, he lost enthusiasm.

"Here we have another government program that won't pay for itself and implementing it in time will result in our taking away money from some other program where we are not able to balance our budget," he said. "It's an interesting road we're going down."

Matoaca District Supervisor Marleen K. Durfee said county staff members should use the extra time to work out the cost of the program and look to other localities to see if there are "different ways of trying to achieve the same goal that this program is trying to achieve."

Dale District Supervisor James M. "Jim" Holland said he supports the program.

"You have to look at cost versus benefit," he said. "We can't think just short-term. We've got to think about the long-term viability of this county. This about preserving the quality of our neighborhoods. It's a quality-of-life issue."

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .