City staff recently conducted a survey of rental property maintenance inspection programs. This was driven by ongoing concerns by residents and businesses of blighted housing. The City of Sturgis implemented a property maintenance inspection program for rental units in 1994 and, much like similar efforts in other communities, I'm told that it was quite controversial. The goal at the time was to reach minimal health and safety standards for those citizens renting properties in the City. This is a goal to which we feel we have made great progress, but there is still plenty of room for improvement beyond meeting these minimum and crucial standards.

There is no doubt that the overall condition of housing impacts a community. Poor housing conditions bring down property values for even well maintained homes, and a community with large sections of poorly-maintained neighborhoods is at a disadvantage when trying to attract business and investment.

While having a healthy economy in the first place plays a role in how much property owners can invest in their homes, it is too simplistic to take the position that "the economic times" is the only variable that leads to blighted homes. Even in communities where tremendous wealth is generated, housing or neighborhoods do not always benefit. Blight is many times a result of unemployment, crime and changes in population, but the unique characteristic of blight is that it can also be self-perpetuating; blight causes more blight.

Rental properties are more likely to be blighted because in most cases tenants are not motivated to take care of the properties like a homeowner, and as a result landlords may be less likely to make significant investment beyond what is required. As a result, a high percentage of renter occupied units tends to create an environment where blight is more likely to exist.

The City of Sturgis' renter occupied rate is 43%, which is above average for similar sized communities. Part of the interest in conducting the survey of rental property maintenance programs is to bring awareness to this issue and engage the community in a discussion about the future of housing and its importance in facilitating economic growth and vitality. Here is a link to the report: PROPERTY MAINTENANCE REPORT. We hope that you are part of this important discussion.