After months of review, Springfield City Council could soon vote to adopt a pilot program for rental inspections. As a final decision nears, some local landlords are pushing against the initiative.
Ensuring that rental housing is maintained and adequate for safe living has been identified as a need in the city’s Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan and also was suggested in the city housing study completed in 2023. Housing advocates have called for a rental inspection program, something already in place in other cities, to be adopted as a part of a wider effort to improve living conditions in the Queen City. Yet local landlords and members of the Springfield Apartment & Housing Association recently spoke against a rental inspection program, claiming all landlords should not be punished for the actions of a few bad apples.
As proposed, the pilot program initially would apply only to homes and duplexes rented out in the West Central neighborhood. The pilot would extend 18 months to allow for data gathering, with the results to be used for future decisions about extending the program citywide…