FAQs

The City of Columbia is inspecting rental units every five years, at the time of license renewal. Prior to Jan. 1, 2025, licenses were issues for three years, with inspections required at alternating renewals, so most properties were inspected every six years.

The rental inspection includes a review of the interior and exterior of the property with the International Property Maintenance Code as the primary code reference, along with City Health and Zoning Codes.

Resources related to inspections: 

• Rental Inspection Checklist
• International Property Maintenance Code
• City of Columbia Ordinances - Chapter 6

Rental property owners and operators pay a fee to license their property, which includes the inspection by City staff. The fees are intended to cover the cost of the program. The current fee structure is $130 for a single-family home, $195 for a duplex, $70 for multi-family up to and including 30 units, and $50 for multi-family with 31 or more units. There is also a $70 reinspection fee when violations are found and a $40 fee when an owner or operator fails to meet the inspector.

Tenants can file a complaint with the City’s Office of Neighborhood Services if there is a property maintenance issue that the landlord has not addressed. Complaints may be followed up with a property inspection and communication with the property owner. Notices will be sent when violations are found, with a deadline for the landlord to make needed repairs.

There are no specific proposals being considered by the City Council at the moment. Resident engagement is being conducted to get feedback on what changes the community might recommend.

Rental properties in the City of Columbia are all inspected at the renewal of their rental license which is issued for five years. Cities that conduct rental programs have unique policies to guide their program. As an example, the City of Ames, Iowa, has a tiered program summarized with the following license schedule:

• 1-year license: Verified over occupancy during the previous year or a history of neglect/lack of maintenance
• 2-year license: Life safety violation: including broken/inoperable doors, ceiling, wall, and floor penetrations, Alarms or fire sprinklers not maintained, more than 2 reinspection fees in the previous year, more than 2 verified property maintenance complaints in the previous year
• 3-year license: Minor code violations that are corrected at the first reinspection, All multiple-family dwellings not equipped with/ sprinklers
• 4-year license: Single-family dwellings with no violations at first inspection, All multiple-family dwellings (more than 2 units) with no code violations and equipped with sprinklers or New Construction