College Station City Council to discuss proactive rental inspections at Thursday meeting

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - At their meeting on Sept. 8, the College Station City Council will hear from renters and apartment managers about what some of the options are for proactive rental inspections.

News 3′s Donnie Tuggle, who has been keeping up with this story, joined First News at Four to discuss the pros and cons of the idea.

For renters, the property is usually only inspected after a complaint from the tenant, but with proactive inspections apartments would be inspected routinely to identify issues to ensure the health and safety of the residents.

Inspections would focus on anything that would make a home unsafe. According to Tuggle mold is one of the biggest complaints, but issues with smoke detectors, appliances, heating and air systems, and hot water heaters would also be looked at.

“There’s just too many apartments to be inspected,” he explained. “Then there’s the timing. We live in a college town. There’s thousands of students moving in and out with short notice and all at one time, so there’s no way these inspections can be done in a timely manner.”

There’s also the issue of the price tag.

“You can bet that the costs associated with these inspections will eventually be passed onto the renter,” said Tuggle.

“You should put your request in writing and be sure to take any pictures or videos with dates and times if a repair isn’t done in a timely fashion.”

It’s essential that residents continue to keep up with rent though. Tenants should follow up with property management, and if the problems persist, they can reach out to law enforcement agencies or groups like the Bryan College Station Apartments Association.

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