City Council approves changes to Rental Ready inspection requirements
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Beginning May 1, 2025, the City of Independence will have more inspection requirements for rental units within its City limits.
Commonly called Rental Ready, the City of Independence expanded its rental dwelling inspection program from original nine rental unit guidelines to a total of 16 in January 2025. This was done after months of work, and in conjunction with input from landlords, tenants, councilmembers, and multiple city departments who researched and applied nationwide best practices.
"I am proud of our new Rental Ready ordinance," said councilmember Jared Fears. Fears, a landlord himself, hosted two listening sessions for concerned citizens in late 2024.
"A year ago, Rental Ready didn't have much teeth. We have spent many months addressing several significant concerns Independence residents have shared," he said.
Before a unit can be licensed to be leased to a tenant, a privately-licensed rental housing inspector must ensure the property meets more than a dozen guidelines. Those inspection items include:
- each property shall have a properly maintained electrical system
- all sinks, lavatories, bathtubs, and showers shall be supplied with hot and cold running water and be operable
- heating and cooling systems are in good working order and can maintain a safe room temperature
- all rental units with windows more than 72 inches (six feet) above ground shall have window fall protection installed
The new Rental Ready code also updates how often a until should be inspected - every two years, or when the tenant changes, not to exceed four years. In the case of dwellings with five or more units, 50% of the total number of rental property units must be inspected, and it cannot be the units that were inspected previously. The new Rental Ready ordinance also addresses deficient landlords, tenant complaints, and complaint retaliation and ensure all landlords are licensed.
Councilmember Fears added, "the great thing about this code is that it can always be amended as more needs arise."
The City of Independence was the first municipality in the metro to enact a residential rental dwelling unit inspection compliance program in the Kansas City metro in 2017.
"While we were proud to be the first in the metro to enact these guidelines, we recognized the 2016 ordinance did not go far enough to protect all our citizens," said City Manager Zach Walker. "The collaborative efforts throughout 2024 and 2025 to update and improve our Rental Ready code place a stronger emphasis on accountability and safety for all our residents."
To see the current Rental Ready code, click here. To see the updated code which takes effect May 1, click here.