Landlords in Indiana have an extra reason to smile this Spring.
Indiana lawmakers forcefully rejected a measure that would increase the maximum registration fee municipalities can charge rental property owners each year.
Senate Bill 171 aimed to increase the highest allowable fee per rental property from the current $5 fee to $150 per rental property. The additional funds were earmarked to help maintain rental safety programs in West Lafayette and Bloomington, which is home to Purdue University and Indiana University, respectively.
“This has been a very positive and very important thing that we’ve done in our community to keep students safe while they are at Purdue,” said State Rep. Chris Campbell, D-West Lafayette, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana.
In addition to helping with student rental housing safety, other lawmakers contended that rental properties are similar to many other businesses that need inspections. Such inspections can be expensive and $5 isn’t enough, said state Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, according to the Times report.
While he believes there is merit in such rental registration programs, Rep. Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said that the proposed hike from $5 to $150 is “a dramatic fee increase — one that I cannot support.”
Many lawmakers agreed with Houston, voting 73-21 on April 1 to defeat the measure. Two days later, an amended version of the bill was returned to the Senate
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