@BlogKC 
The new City Council is moving swiftly to take on the issue of landlord licensing, something that Mayor Barnes and the old council repeatedly refused to deal with. The issue came up often in on the campaign trail, and with many candidates speaking in favor of licensing. Today the Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee passed a resolution calling on the City Manager to begin developing a rental licensing policy. Tomorrow it goes to the full City Council for final vote.
thank god. maybe this will mean the end of the “powerful” landlord lobby in this town. it’s affecting things as far removed as recycling for multi-unit dwellings, which have been completely left out of the city-wide program. this is also very good news for the east side.
Anybody have a sense of where the votes will fall?
I attended part of the meeting this morning at 10, and Jolly seemed to be doing a great job moving the testimony along. I got the sense that Circo, Jolly, Curls and Brooks supported the increased regulation…
the ordinance link appears to be broken, this link sems to work….
http://cityclerk.kcmo.org/liveweb/Documents/Document.aspx?q=%2fl0OlX4EpG%2bUWUNvoxN%2bQmzCQjyhnNaNU6XFqwcQ%2fAnfe8tgK6lyYldeAPskwamk
Just another tax. The Star has never seen a tax they didn’t like! Especially if it enlarges government and increases the bureaucracy.
We have uniform building codes, we have housing codes, enforce the laws on the books uniformly. Do not impose another tax on property based on whether it is owner occupied or not.
There are as many, if not more dilapidated owner occupied homes in Kansas City as there are rental homes.
Other problems exist with this plan also. First; is the Hancock Amendment. (look it up)
Second; is the Fourth Amendment guarding against unreasonable search and seizure.
If an agent of the government wants to come in my home or that of a tenant they need a warrant.
The often overused term “absentee landlord” is almost as absurd as the notion that investors do not care about their investment property. No one invests tens of thousands of dollars in something and then disregards it’s well being.
Owning investment real estate differs little from investing in stocks and bonds. If you bought stock in a New York based company would that make you an absentee investor?
The real problem in KC is the incredible violent crime, and the out of control property crime. Until we start to incarcerate the villains who are devaluing our neighborhoods and our property we will continue to see depreciating values in the metro area.
I manage hundreds of rental units from Excelsior Springs to Gardner, KS. They include anything from half a million dollar homes in Leawood, and $40,000 homes in KC to acreage in Cass County.
In every case the investors take a great deal of interest in the value and condition of their investment.
While I do not own any investment property at all. I manage others properties. We have a full-time maintenance staff that sees to the maintenance and repair of the properties.
I guess that makes me unwittingly part of the “powerful” landlord lobby! Sounds like class envy to me! Typical of “Red Star” readers!
Let us not forget that these “rich” investors have mortgages, taxes, insurance, management costs, etc. Not to mention that if the properties are in KC they will likely be stripped of all the plumbing, wiring and fixtures if vacant. Incidentally most insurance companies will not cover a loss on a vacant property.
That picture looks like it was probably an eviction, As a result of Kansas City’s lack of trash collection and it’s absence of a land-fill what do you propose they do with what the tenants leave behind.
Secondly the eviction in Jackson County probably took at least 90 days and the Sheriff will not allow the property owner to dispose of the tenants belongings. The belongings must be set at the curb by law, but far be it for the Red Star to be interested in facts.