Elgin — Ch. 6.37 Rental Residential Property § 6.37.060

A. All rental residential property shall be subject to an inspection as a condition to the issuance of the license. An inspection shall be scheduled with the code official at the time of the application for a license for a rental residential property.
B. Upon receipt of a completed application for a license or renewal license for a rental residential property, including the payment of all required fees and the scheduling of a required licensing inspection, the code official shall issue a license. The property will also be checked for any outstanding fees or other charges owed to the city, which will be due immediately and prior to the issuance of a license or renewal license. Open and expired permits will be required to have permit inspections scheduled within ten (10) business days from the submission of a completed application.
C. Licensing inspections of rental residential property shall be conducted within one hundred twenty (120) days from the issuance of an initial license or renewal license. The licensing inspection shall determine whether the rental residential property is in conformance with the city's zoning ordinance and all other applicable provisions of this Code. The licensing inspection shall also include a physical inspection of the rental residential property including the building exterior, common areas, basement, accessory structures and twenty (20) percent of both the individual dwelling units and rooming units, when applicable, with a minimum of at least one (1) dwelling unit and rooming unit, when applicable. The code official will determine which dwelling units and rooming units are to be inspected.
D. If an owner, authorized agent, tenant or occupant who is listed on a rental license application or lease is not present for an inspection at the designated appointment time such that the code official is unable to conduct a scheduled inspection, in addition to any other remedies a missed inspection fee pursuant to section 6.37.135 shall apply.
E. When a licensing inspection of a rental residential property reveals any violations of applicable codes, a compliance timeframe will be set by the code official. In establishing a compliance timeframe, the code official shall determine the reasonable minimal time necessary to correct the violations based upon the number and severity of the violations. The code official shall send notice to the property owner or the listed authorized agent by regular U.S. mail and by e-mail with delivery confirmation the last address provided on the most recent license application. Said notice shall include the following:
1. Description of the property sufficient for identification;
2. A statement listing the violations of applicable codes;
3. A statement of the date upon which the licensing re-inspection must be scheduled by the owner or authorized agent; and
An explanation that if upon completion of the licensing re-inspection that the requirements of applicable city codes have not been met, the license will be suspended or revoked.
F. A licensing re-inspection will be conducted at the end of the compliance timeframe. The license shall remain in effect upon the successful completion of a licensing re-inspection that determines the rental residential property meets the requirements of applicable city codes. If the code official finds that the requirements of applicable city codes have not been met, if there are unpaid fees or other charges owed to the city, if open expired permits exist, or that any information provided in the license application is false, the license shall be suspended or revoked in accordance with section 6.37.090 .
G. A rental residential property which is in total compliance at the time of the licensing inspection, or has two (2) or less non-life-safety violations which are identified and brought into compliance with a follow-up inspection or photo evidence within ten (10) business days of the initial inspection, shall receive a two (2) year extension of the license at no additional charge and with no additional inspections being required for the following two years, provided the owner or authorized agent of the rental residential property has successfully completed the landlord training class required under section 6.37.100 . Life-safety violations include, but are not limited to, missing or malfunctioning smoke or carbon monoxide alarms, unlawful basement sleeping, unlawful occupancy, electrical and plumbing system hazards, nonfunctioning or nonexistent utilities, infestations and sanitation issues.
H. If any rental residential property is found to have had two (2) or more violations of the city's property maintenance code, zoning ordinance, or any other ordinance or regulation relating to the keeping, maintenance or occupancy of property within the city after having been granted a two (2) year extension of a rental license pursuant to this section, said extension shall be rescinded and the owner shall be required, within ten (10) days of the date of rescission, to comply with all requirements for the renewal of a rental license, including, but not limited to, obtaining a rental license inspection and the payment of any applicable fees.
I. If, during a licensing inspection, any dwelling unit or rooming unit is determined to be unfit for human occupancy as determined under the city's property maintenance code, an additional twenty (20) percent of the dwelling units and rooming units in the subject rental residential property shall be inspected. If similar violations are observed in the additional dwelling units and rooming units, the entire rental residential property will be subject to inspection. All additional dwelling units and rooming units inspected shall be subject to the dwelling unit and rooming unit fee as set forth in section 6.37.050B.
J. The number of dwelling units and rooming units to be inspected per rental residential property shall be calculated using the following tables:
Number of Dwelling Units on Property | Number of Dwelling Units to be Inspected
2--5 | 1
6--10 | 2
11--15 | 3
16--20 | 4
21--25 | 5
26--30 | 6
31--35 | 7
36--40 | 8
41--45 | 9
46--50 | 10
Properties having in excess of fifty (50) dwelling units shall have the number of dwelling units to be inspected calculated at twenty (20) percent of the total number of dwelling units. The dwelling units to be inspected shall be selected by the code official. Number of Rooming Units on Property Number of Rooming Units to be Inspected 2--5 1 6--10 2 11--15 3 16--20 4 21--25 5 26--30 6 31--35 7 36--40 8 41--45 9 46--50 10
Properties having in excess of fifty (50) rooming units shall have the number of rooming units to be inspected calculated at twenty (20) percent of the total number of rooming units. The rooming units to be inspected shall be selected by the code official. Applications for license renewals shall be made in the same manner as for new applications except that such applications shall state thereon such fact.