Resident asks Council Bluffs for rental property inspections; city staff say rental-inspection program in place

A Council Bluffs resident raised concerns during public comment about the condition of rental properties in his neighborhood and asked whether the city operates oversight similar to what he described for Omaha.

Michael Hayes, of 616 Franklin Avenue, told the council he had noticed properties that appeared to be minimally repaired between tenancies and questioned whether the city double-checks landlord work for code compliance. "I have a question. If we have any type of oversight on rental properties like Omaha does with slumlords because I got a little bit of concerns within my neighborhood," Hayes said.

City staff responded that Council Bluffs has maintained a rental inspection program for many years and encouraged Hayes to report specific properties for enforcement review. The staff reply included a direct offer of follow-up: "If you have a particular property you're concerned with, please let me know and I'll make sure the rental inspectors take a look at it," the staff member said.

Hayes named a property he wanted inspected, 609 Franklin Avenue, and described concerns about conversions between single-family and multi-family use. The staff member acknowledged such situations sometimes are not registered and asked Hayes to contact the city so inspectors could follow up.

No formal council action or ordinance change was taken during the meeting. The exchange was recorded during the public comment portion of the agenda and the staff member told Hayes the city would investigate reported properties through the existing rental inspection program.