Traverse City Record-Eagle

Garfield Township

March 25, 2010

Half of Garfield rentals fail inspections

Smoke detectors, lighting cause many violations

BY BRIAN McGILLIVARY

TRAVERSE CITY -- More than half of all apartments and hotels in Garfield Township failed to pass newly required maintenance inspections.

Township building inspectors are requiring installation of more than 600 smoke detectors, emergency lighting repairs and clearing of fire exits at various sites, safety steps they've cited while inspecting rental properties over the past six months.

"So much for the people who said we didn't need a rental inspection ordinance," said township Supervisor Chuck Korn.

The ordinance mandates inspections at any rental property with five or more units. Renters on properties with fewer than five units, such as in a single-family home or duplex, can request an inspection in writing.

Township building inspectors have completed about half of the 25 mandated inspections, in part because they get a complaint about once a week, said township building official Carl Studzinski.

"Some of it is minor stuff, but some of it is pretty major," Studzinski said. "The tenants are real happy that now we can do something when before we couldn't do anything."

Complaints ranged from burned-out light bulbs to structural problems and leaky roofs. Studzinski said while some owners are grateful to have issues pointed out, there are still a few upset the township adopted the program.

Mobile homes tend to have the most severe problems, but even two of the township's largest and newest hotels had issues on their initial inspections, Studzinski said.

Great Wolf Lodge was cited for having some fire alarms blocked and a burned-out light in a fire exit sign. The Baymont Inn & Suites had a couple of emergency lights that didn't work.

Building inspector Todd Chargo said management at both hotels thanked him for uncovering the problems.

"I didn't get any negative feedback from them at all," Chargo said.

Neither hotel responded to a request for comment.

The township inspects 10 percent of the living units and all common areas in their mandatory inspections. It charges the owners $10 for each hotel room inspected and $30 for each apartment. It doesn't charge a fee when responding to a complaint.

Deb Mangrum, manager at Harbour Ridge apartments, said the building department made the inspection process easy, but she questioned the need to inspect properties when no one complained.

"I just wish we didn't have to pay money to get inspected when we don't have any complaints, but I understand they have to do it to everybody," Mangrum said.

Text Only