All rental properties in Moline – including single-family rentals – will soon be required to be licensed and pay a rental inspection fee based on the total number of units. Initial licensing fees are due on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
The new rental housing licensing and inspection program was adopted by the Moline City Council at its Nov. 21 meeting, the city said in a news release. It goes into effect in 2024. (More on the expanded program can be found here.)
“The goal is to bring up the overall quality of the city’s housing stock, ensure the safety and health of tenants and improve the overall quality of neighborhoods,” Moline Community & Economic Development Director Chris Mathias said.
While initial licensing fees are due on Jan. 2, the expanded inspection program will not be fully implemented until later in the spring, that release said.
Until now only larger Moline multi-family complexes were subject to annual inspections, which are conducted by fire department personnel.
Under the newly expanded program, all rental housing in Moline will be inspected. This will require the addition of two full-time rental inspectors in the spring. Those two additional inspectors are expected to be added in January 2025.
The expanded inspection program will be funded through inspection fees, not the general fund, meaning landlords and tenants, not general taxpayers, will cover the cost, the city said.
The fee structure is $100 for a single-family home rental and $100 plus $15 for each additional unit after the first in larger complexes. So a 10-unit, multi-family complex would be charged $235 annually.
There is also a $50 fine for a missed inspection. Minor infractions found during the inspection will cost a landlord $100 and major infractions $200.
