City mulls charging landlords $1-per-unit fee

Colorado Springs’ code enforcement department is proposing to charge all rental property owners $1 per housing unit to pay for a registration program that will track property ownership. 

The department will gather public comment during two meetings scheduled for 6 p.m. July 14 at the Falcon Division Community Room, 7850 Goddard St. and 6 p.m. July 15 at the Police Operations Center Community Room, 705 S. Nevada Ave.

“Right now, if there’s a problem - no heat in the winter, leaking ceilings, something serious - we have no way to get in touch with absentee owners,” said code enforcement officer Ken Lewis. “We get some help from the tax assessors’ office, but we have to send a certified letter and that can take weeks - and create bigger problems.”

The fee will also help ensure the survival of code enforcement in the city.

Right now, the city employs eight officers to inspect rental properties. Aurora, which has fewer people than Colorado Springs, employs 25.

“Every major city has a program like this,” Lewis said. “And it’s a program we need as well.”

Code enforcement officials have met with stakeholders - people from the Apartment Association of Colorado Springs, as well as property management - earlier this year. The next step is the public meetings, and then the issue will go before city council.

Read this Friday’s print edition of the Colorado Springs Business Journal for more about the proposal and and reaction to it.

Click here to subscibe to the print edition.

3 Responses to “City mulls charging landlords $1-per-unit fee”

1. Dick Burns Says:
   July 6th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

   Amy, is that $1 per month or $1 per year?

2. Tim O'Donnell Says:
   July 8th, 2009 at 8:21 am

   According to today’s Gazette it is really $10 per month unless you take a city sponsored landlord training course. I have several rental properties and I can guarantee that I’m not taking the course and I am passing the cost to the tenants.

3. Ron Baumgart Says:
   July 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

   There is already a means in place to track property ownership. It is called the El Paso County Assessors office. The ownership of a particular property can be located at http://www.elpasoco.com followed by clicking on the assessors link. When there is a homeowner association involved with a property, each property owner pays dues to the association who provides a policing effort, regarding property enforcement, security, etc. The charging of an additonal city fee appears to be a duplicate charge over and above the HOA fees already charges. In addition what other services are going to be provided for the fees that the city expects to charge?