City planning staff briefed the Richmond City Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Standing Committee on a proposed residential rental inspection program and recommended adopting an ordinance that would allow the city to create limited inspection districts for rental housing.

The program, staff said, would let building officials conduct proactive inspections in defined districts — not across the entire city — to “promote safe, decent and sanitary housing” in accordance with the Code of Virginia. Staff recommended a two-step approach: adopt enabling legislation first, then return later with a proposed map and fiscal analysis for specific districts.

Why it matters: Committee members and multiple tenants said Richmond needs a proactive program because they face unsafe conditions and slow enforcement under the existing complaint-driven system. Council members pressed staff for details about tenant protections, rehousing obligations and the program’s fiscal impact before approving districts or staffing levels.

Staff presentation and key program rules

Kim Jay Vong, director of planning and development review, told the committee the program is constrained by state law and must be implemented within the Code of Virginia’s parameters. Staff outlined several specific features:
- The governing body must create one or more rental inspection districts; state law prohibits making the entire municipality a single district.
- For complexes with 10 or more units, inspectors may sample 10% of units; a finding of violations in the sample allows inspection of all units in that complex.
- Newly built or newly compliant dwelling units would be exempt from periodic and transfer inspections for 48 months.
- Staff proposed that a district could expire after 10 years so areas are not placed into perpetual inspection without review.

Vong said the office recommends adopting the program ordinance first and then returning with district boundaries, fiscal estimates and community engagement plans. He told members staff had drafted ordinance language with the city attorney and expected to return with a draft for introduction this spring.

Public comment and tenant concerns

Several tenants and tenant organizers urged the committee to fund a proactive inspection program immediately. Kim Taylor of Richmond Chapel of Virginia Organizing described “holes in my ceilings, faulty electrical wiring” and called for the city to “fully fund a rental inspection program so that Richmond residents can have the safe and healthy housing we deserve.”

Other speakers described specific harms: recurring power outages affecting an 83‑year‑old on 24‑hour oxygen, pervasive mold, windows falling out and landlords who retaliate when tenants complain. Multiple speakers asked for well‑publicized public hearings on the ordinance and for tenant participation in selecting districts.

Tenant‑protection and displacement questions

Council members repeatedly asked how inspection findings would affect tenants. Staff and enforcement leaders said Virginia landlord‑tenant law requires a landlord to rehouse tenants if a unit is declared unfit, but that rehousing can be difficult in practice when owners lack resources or are out of state. Deputy Director Michelle Howard of Property Maintenance Code Enforcement described enforcement timeframes and remedies: “We start at 30 days for regular routine defective maintenance, and we will typically go up to immediate to 15 days for unsafe conditions.”

Howard and other staff warned that proactive inspections could increase instances where units are found unsafe and temporarily uninhabitable, creating a need for a rehousing or interim assistance plan. Staff said the city cannot itself place tenants in alternative housing and that legal processes (such as rent escrow through legal aid and court proceedings) are often necessary to hold owners accountable.

Funding, staffing and implementation timeline

Committee members asked whether a rental registry, inspection fees or a permit system could fund the program. Vong said funding depends on the number and size of districts; the initial ordinance (the enabling legislation) requires no immediate fiscal outlay, but establishing districts and staffing inspectors would. He said staff could supply a draft ordinance and fiscal estimates this spring to inform the next budget cycle.

Council direction

Committee members asked staff to return with the draft ordinance, data on past code violations and emergency responses to help define districts, and an estimate of staffing and fiscal needs. Staff committed to provide more granular mapping of violations and to deliver the draft enabling ordinance "this spring" for council consideration.

Ending note

Committee members encouraged residents who spoke at the meeting to stay involved as the city refines the ordinance and district criteria. Staff signaled willingness to include tenant‑education and tenant‑organization support in implementation planning and to coordinate with other city offices on workforce and rehousing resources.