(A) Prior to issuing an initial rental permit, each dwelling unit to be rented shall be inspected (interior and exterior) by the Building Official in an effort to ensure compliance with any applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations to help ensure the safety and welfare of tenants living in the community. The owner of a dwelling unit to be rented may waive the inspection requirement by signing a certification provided to the owner by the Building Official certifying that the dwelling unit to be rented is compliant with any applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations, or by retaining the services of a Licensed Home Inspector to provide a written certification that the dwelling unit to be rented is compliant with any applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. For purposes of this section, a Licensed Home Inspector means a person who holds a valid license issued by the Ohio Department of Commerce pursuant to R.C. § 4764.07 or § 4764.10 to conduct a home inspection. The Building Official will work with the owner of the dwelling unit to be rented and tenants to resolve any code violations identified.
(B) Prior to issuing a renewal rental permit, the Building Official shall confirm the conditions of the dwelling unit to be rented in one of the three ways permitted in § 123.04(A) above at least once every three years in an effort to help ensure the safety and welfare of tenants living in the community. If after seven calendar days the owner of the dwelling unit to be rented refuses to voluntarily consent to one of the three ways permitted in § 123.04(A) above, the Building Official may seek an administrative search warrant for the premises in order to complete the inspection, prior to the issuance of the rental permit. For the purposes of this administrative search warrant, probable cause in the criminal law sense is not required. Probable cause justifying the issuance of an administrative search warrant may be based not only on specific evidence of an existing violation, but also on a showing that reasonable legislative or administrative standards for conducting an inspection have been satisfied with respect to the particular property, including but not limited to the passage of time, the nature of the building, or the condition of the entire area.
(C) Prior to a transfer of occupancy, the Building Official shall confirm the conditions of the dwelling unit to be rented in one of the three ways permitted in § 123.04(A) above in an effort to help ensure the safety and welfare of tenants living in the community. A dwelling unit to be rented will not be required to be inspected upon a transfer of occupancy if the dwelling unit has been inspected and approved for occupancy within the 180 days prior to the transfer of occupancy.
(D) During an inspection by the Building Official or a Licensed Home Inspector as provided for in § 123.04(A) above, the inspection shall include the dwelling unit to be rented including the interior and exterior of any attached or detached accessory structures such as sheds or garages, for compliance with all ordinances, rules and regulations applicable to the construction, condition and appearance of the property.
(Ord. 15-2008, passed 4-2-08; Am. Ord. 15-2012, passed 3-21-12; Am. Ord. 24-2017, passed 6-7-17; Am. Ord. 41-2020, passed 11-18-20)