Currently, the fire department inspects multi-family complexes annually. Starting next year, all rental housing will be inspected.
Chris Mathias is the director of community and economic development for Moline.
"Properties where there are no infractions, or they get basically an A grade, they will not be re-inspected every year, and in fact, if they get a letter A grade on their inspection, they won't be inspected for another four years," he said.
"So that'll allow us to focus on the properties that really need help. And as they get worse grades, you know, then you're talking about things where, obviously, they're going to be inspected more frequently."
It'll require landlords to apply for a license every year, and pay inspection and licensing fees. Moline will charge landlords $100 to $200 for each infraction.
Mathias says that'll cover the cost of the program.
"These new fees are going to 100% fund the new rental inspection program," he said. "So it'll go towards hiring at least three new rental housing inspectors that'll be out there in the neighborhoods, inspecting all these buildings, but also looking for neighborhood nuisance issues like, it could be long grass that needs to be cut, it could be junk cars."
"We'll have more eyes on the neighborhood, we'll have more enforcement being done on these buildings, and it's really about making sure the renters are safe."
Rental inspections in Moline are set to start in the spring.
