City gears up to inspect rental units

The Alexandria Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) will again inspect rental units in the city in 2011.

The Alexandria City Council approved the HRA’s proposal at its December 27 meeting.

The payment structure, however, will be different this time.

Instead of charging the city a flat rate per inspection, the fee will be based on the type of housing and how large it is. This should provide a more accurate representation of the inspection costs, according to City Planner Mike Weber.

Inspections of multi-family units (those with five or more units) will cost $15 per unit. A re-inspection will cost $10 and another $10 will be charged for subsequent inspections.

In addition, an inspection of the common area will cost $40 per building and any re-inspections will cost $30 per building.

For smaller single-family units (less than five), the initial inspection will cost $40 per unit and re-inspections will cost $25. Any subsequent inspections will cost $25 per unit.

The fees will cover the rental inspector’s salary, benefits, supplies and training. The inspector will provide all necessary documentation to the city and the landlord in a timely manner.

The city approved the contract under the condition that the costs will not exceed $12,000 for the year. In 2010, the city spent about $11,200 for inspection services.

About 25 percent of the rental units in Alexandria are expected to be inspected this year. The city’s goal is to inspect every registered rental unit in the city an average of once every four years.

Tags: local news, rental units, city council, news, hra, housing, alexandria