City of Merriam Woods, MO Building Inspections For Rental Properties

The yard area of the property shall be properly mowed, dead trees and limbs removed, and all construction or other material or debris shall be removed from the premises.

No residence shall be occupied until all utilities are properly installed and functional. Any property in which utilities have been disconnected for any reason shall be vacated within forty-eight (48) hours of the disconnection of utilities.

Section 500.270 Inspection Fees.

[Ord. No. 2020-1, 11-10-2020]

Yearly inspections will be made of all rental properties by the City Building Inspector. The City office shall send notices to landlords and/or management companies and the occupants thirty (30) days prior to inspection date. If the landlord/owner does not comply with the yearly inspection, then the occupant can ask for an inspection and pay the inspection fee. Failure to do so will result in the water service in said rental property being discontinued. Water will not be turned on, nor may anyone reside in the property until the property has been inspected and a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector.

An inspection fee of forty dollars ($40.00) shall be paid by the landlord/property management company at the time that the yearly inspection is scheduled.

Inspection requests shall be made by the landlord/property management company to the City office at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance when there is a change in occupancy. An inspection fee of forty dollars ($40.00) shall be paid by the landlord/property management company at that time. Failure to do so could result in a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per day.

Any residence without proper utilities (i.e., electric, water, sewer) cannot be occupied until such utilities are properly connected and the residence has passed inspection by the Building Inspector. In the event that the water is disconnected for any reason, the residence shall have five (5) working days to pay the required fees to have service reconnected and/or vacate the property. Failure to do so could result in fines of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per day.

All new applicants for service shall submit proof of authority to reside at the listed residence (i.e., lease agreement, etc.).

Section 500.280 Reinspection Process.

[Ord. No. 2020-1, 11-10-2020]

If the property inspected does not comply with the ordinances or regulations adopted by the City, the landlord/property management company shall be required to correct the deficiencies within thirty (30) days and schedule a reinspection when all deficiencies have been corrected.

In the event that the deficiencies have not been corrected and the property fails reinspection, the landlord/property management company shall be required to pay a reinspection fee of forty dollars ($40.00) prior to the next reinspection. Any further reinspections will be performed at the discretion of the Building Inspector within ten (10) days of the request and will require the payment of the reinspection fee prior to the reinspection. Reinspection fees are forty dollars ($40.00).

Section 500.290 Outstanding Bills.

[Ord. No. 2020-1, 11-10-2020]

When an occupant vacates a property and does not request that service be disconnected, billing will continue to occur monthly. If an occupant vacates a property and has an outstanding utility bill with the City office, the landlord/property management company shall be held responsible for that bill. Any landlord/property management company may request that the utility bills be kept in their name and sent to them. If billing is to remain in the name of the landlord/property management company, a written request with a list of those properties must be submitted to the Utility Clerk by the landlord/property management company.