The City of Knoxville recently held a meeting with landlords who own property within the city via Zoom. The purpose was to inform landlords of changes in regards to an ordinance the city council passed in July. Jason Van Ausdall of Iowa Inspections LLC led the meeting, and stated that the meeting was intended to inform landlords of changes so their properties would pass inspection on the first check.

Landlords expressed concerns in a drafted letter to the city council that while many items on the inspection checklist make sense from a safety standpoint, many of the codes that must be followed are based on the newest building codes instead of the codes in place at the time of construction. Van Ausdall said that many of these items would have to be reconfigured to comply with the new codes. He said that these codes are not negotiable, but assured landlords that the process would be easier than it appears to be.

“Folks, we are not here to debate the program, the ordinance has been passed, the contract has been signed. I know it’s not something that some of you relish to do, but I can put your fears aside. Going through the process is not as painful as you might think it would be, it’s just not.”

Landlords noted that making these changes could be an expensive venture, causing rent to increase to unaffordable levels, displacing some families.

The latest codes are stricter than international building codes. Many landlords in Knoxville are part of the Knoxville Housing Choice voucher program, which is government-funded. That program uses codes that were current at the time the structure was built.

Numerous other concerns were stated by landlords in this drafted letter. Inspections are currently scheduled to begin July 1st, 2021. An in-person meeting is scheduled to take place in March.