(a) Annual inspections. All residential rental property located in the City shall be subject to an annual inspection for compliance with applicable laws. The anniversary date for annual inspections shall be calculated from the date the owner received the first residential rental registration.
(b) Inspection upon tenancy change. All residential rental property shall be subject to a reinspection upon any change in occupants at the property.
(c) Notice of inspection and procedures.
(1) After receiving a completed residential rental registration from an owner or upon receiving notice that a new occupant has taken possession of the dwelling, the City will conduct an exterior and interior inspection of the residential rental dwelling unit to identify violations of the applicable laws.
(2) The notice of inspection shall provide a minimum of 14 days notice. Notice shall be mailed to the owner, the local contact representative at their last known address, and occupant. In the case of multiple owners of the same property, notice to any one of the property owners is sufficient notice.
(3) In the event an owner, local contact representative or tenant in possession of the property refuses to allow access to conduct the inspection, the City Attorney may use all legal remedies permitted by law to cause an inspection to take place, including, but not limited to, applying for an inspection warrant pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 1822.50 et seq.
(4) Should the City be unable to obtain consent to conduct an inspection, the City may still process the owner's residential rental registration.
(5) No owner, local contact representative or tenant in possession shall be found in violation of this Chapter based solely on the refusal to allow access to conduct the inspection.
(d) City Code Enforcement Officers and/or the Building Official will be responsible for conducting the inspections authorized by this Section. The City may request that other City departments and/or Riverside County enforcement agencies participate in the inspection process.
(e) After completion of the inspection, the City shall send a written report of the inspection to the owner. The report shall contain:
(1) An itemization of any violations of the applicable laws identified during the inspection;
(2) The period of time for correcting each of the identified violations;
(3) A statement that the City will re-inspect the residential rental dwelling unit on the day after the period of time for correction;
(4) The re-inspection fee shall be listed with the re-inspection date and time accompanied by the date to which the said fee is due; and
(5) A statement that if the violations are not corrected within the period of time for correction the City will not issue the residential rental registration certificate and the City may pursue legal action as authorized under this Chapter to abate such violations.
(6) If no violations are found as a result of the inspection, the inspection report shall state, “No violations found on the date of inspection,” and the City shall issue the residential rental registration certificate to the owner.
(f) Self-Certification. All residential rental property located in the City shall be subject to an annual inspection for compliance with applicable laws. In lieu of an in-person inspection by the City, an owner of a residential rental property may self-certify by paying the self-certification fee, providing photographs demonstrating compliance, and signing an affidavit certifying that the condition on the residential rental property meets the interior and exterior standards listed on the self-certification program form.
(g) Annual inspections under this Section shall be conducted prior to renewal of the Residential Rental Certificate required under Chapter 5.01.
(Ord. 192, passed 1-15-2020; Am. Ord. 199, passed 7-8-2020; Am. Ord. 244, passed 3-13-2024)