NEW Advocacy - Changes in the Rental Licensing Checklists

We worked hard to redesign our Rental Inspection Program four years ago.  BARHA took the lead on creating this improved program and we are very proud of the excellent inspection program we were able to create.  Moving to professional licensed home inspectors instead of city inspectors has been such an improvement.  In addition, we created inspection checklists so that owners and inspectors are both clear on what will be inspected.  We also wrote the lists in clear, simple language.  These checklists were a huge improvement over the old system where an inspector did inspections randomly and very subjectively. 

The response to this new Rental License Program has been excellent.   The value of it has been evidenced by the fact that (knock on wood!) not a single catastrophe has occurred in Boulder that has been building caused.  That is quite a record when 57% of everyone who lives in Boulder rents!

The City has now decided to move away from the Boulder Housing Code which has ALWAYS been the basis of building codes in the city to a new International Property Maintenance Code.  There has been an effort to alter our existing Checklists in order to match the new IPMC codes.  BARHA is working HARD to keep the same philosophy with the new checklists – easy to understand, focus on basic health and safety issues, be a checklist that is followed objectively by all inspectos.

We have concerns about that new code.  In many ways, it is more vague than the current code and could cause more owner/resident conflict; it also covers items that we do not consider to be basic health and safety.  The proposed changes would likely increase the cost of inspections.  Anytime such a major change is made, there are unintended consequences.  This international code is also changed every three years and that may be problematic.  We just plain don’t see the need to go this direction when things seem fine with the current code to most.

We also are very strong in demanding that any code must be readily available on line – if the code is not on-line, we think that is a serious problem.

In summary – any new energy requirements that are added to Rental Licensing would be added into this International Property Maintenance Code – with references to another national code called the National Green Building Standards Code also.  Does this all seem pretty complicated--- yup, we think it is!

We’re hard at work on this issue as well as we recognize that these checklists are VITALLY important to all of our members and we need them worded correctly and based on a code that is readily accessible to citizens.  Again, stay tuned as we work on this issue as well.  Please join BARHA if you are not currently a member – we need you and you will find the advocacy and information we provide to be of great benefit in many ways. 

BARHA members have already received copies of the proposed checklist.