HOUSING INSPECTIONS - S.B. 487 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 487 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor: Senator Mat J. Dunaskiss

Committee: Local, Urban and State Affairs

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Housing Law to permit, instead of require, an enforcing agency to inspect periodically multiple dwellings and rooming houses regulated by the Law. The bill also would do the following:

-- Permit a local government to provide by ordinance that the maximum period between inspections could be from two to six years.

-- Permit an enforcing agency to require an owner to provide an inspector access to one or more regulated premises under certain circumstances.

-- Require an enforcing agency to give a leasehold owner written notice of an inspection at least 14 days before it was to occur.

-- Require a leasehold owner, within three days after receiving notice of an inspection, to give an occupant written notice of the date and time of the inspection.

-- Require an occupant who objected to an inspection to notify in writing the leasehold owner of the objection and of an alternative date and time for the inspection.

-- Provide for exceptions to the inspection notification requirements under certain circumstances.

-- Prohibit an enforcing agency from charging an inspection fee that exceeded actual costs.

MCL 125.526 - Legislative Analyst: L. Arasim

FISCAL IMPACT

Local units that increased the maximum period between housing inspections would reduce their collections of inspection fees. The fees changed could not exceed actual and reasonable costs of conducting the inspection. This bill would have no State fiscal impact.

Date Completed: 5-28-97 - Fiscal Analyst: R. Ross

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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.