EP131 Should We Ban the Rental Application Fee? Government Advocacy with Clay Powell

Should Rental Application Fees be Banned?  Today we're going to discuss an issue that's happening right here in Grand Rapids, but it affects landlords and rental property owners everywhere.  It has to do with the affordable housing challenge communities are facing as rents rise and neighborhoods gentrify.  As tenants find it increasingly difficult to locate and afford housing, those communities and their elected representatives are pointing the finger of blame at landlords, investors and property management companies, and looking for ways to legislate our behavior in order to solve this problem. Just this week the Grand Rapids Mayor and City Commission voted to approve a rental application fee ordinance, which will be very consequential to all of us who provide rental housing.  In order to help explain and understand this ordinance, I'm joined by the RPOA's Director, Clay Powell.  Clay has been involved in this issue on the RPOA's behalf since its inception, and is going to break it down for us in order to understand how it will impact the way we screen tenants, collect application fees, and advocate for our rights as rental property owners. You can learn more about the RPOA and become a member by going to www.rpoaonline.org