LANDLORDS & RENTALS · ST. JOSEPH
Rental Repairs for St. Joseph Landlords
About 37% of St. Joseph's occupied homes are rentals (Census ACS 2020–2024), and many of them are in the city's oldest housing. St. Joseph requires a rental certificate with an inspection, and the inspection checklist reads like a handyman's work order: porches, stairs, windows, doors, peeling paint, smoke and CO alarms. Here's what the city checks and what we can fix.
How St. Joseph's rental certificate works
From city code Chapter 7, Article XI (Secs. 7-500 and following):
- When you need one: for a new tenant "who has not had continuous lawful occupancy … for at least 60 days" (Sec. 7-501(b)). Occupied rentals must have a valid rental inspection, and the owner needs a current city business license for the rental (Sec. 7-501(c)).
- How long it lasts: "valid for five years" (Sec. 7-501(a)).
- Fees: an application fee of no more than $5 per unit plus "an inspection fee in the amount of $50.00 for each inspection" (Sec. 7-502(d)).
- Newer units: units less than 10 years old are exempt from the inspection (Sec. 7-503(b)(3)).
What has to pass at inspection
These items are checked at inspection, along with structure, stairs, the water heater, electrical and heating:
- "Stairways, decks, and porches"
- "Foundation and overhang extensions"
- "Exterior walls and foundation walls"
- "Roofs"
What gets 30 days to fix
The city's list of items that can be corrected within 30 days (Sec. 7-503(d)) is longer than this, and includes:
- "Protective treatment and siding": peeling or missing paint, and loose or damaged siding
- "Exterior doors, basement hatchways, windows, skylights, and door frames"
- "Balconies, handrails, and guards", and basement walking surfaces, handrails and guards
- Building security: doors, windows and hatchways that open and lock
- Interior surfaces, including a "lack of peeling or chipping paint"
- Windows: "Properly glazed, operable, and insect screens in place"
- "Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors"
- Drainage, accessory structures such as fences and detached garages, plumbing, unobstructed egress and pest control
Carbon monoxide alarms, St. Joseph's local rule: the city amended the property maintenance code (Sec. 7-317(10), IPMC 705.1) so that in any unit with a fuel-fired appliance, or an attached garage that opens into the unit, "the owner of the dwelling unit shall ensure that carbon monoxide alarms are properly installed and functional outside of each separate sleeping areas in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms."
Turnover checklist
| Area | What we check and fix |
|---|---|
| Porch and steps | Loose or rotten treads, handrails and guards, soft porch floorboards, loose posts → porch repair |
| Exterior | Peeling paint on trim and siding, loose siding boards, gaps at doors and windows |
| Windows | Painted-shut or won't-stay-up sash, broken glass, failed glazing, missing or torn screens → window repair |
| Doors | Exterior doors that don't latch or lock, damaged jambs, weatherstripping, basement hatch |
| Interior | Peeling or chipping paint, wall and ceiling holes, cracked plaster, loose handrails → plaster and drywall |
| Alarms | Smoke alarms, and CO alarms outside sleeping areas where required |
| Minor plumbing | Record leaks and fixture problems; confirm the required plumbing license and permit status before assigning the work |
| Minor electrical | Record defective switches, receptacles and fixtures; confirm electrical licensing and permit requirements for each task → permit guide |
Peeling paint on a pre-1978 rental: lead rules apply
St. Joseph's rental stock is old: the city's 2020–2024 Consolidated Plan, using 2011–2015 Census data, put about 70% of renter-occupied units as built before 1980. Fixing peeling paint on a pre-1978 rental is the kind of work the federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers. It requires a certified firm, containment and cleanup, and landlords also have federal lead disclosure duties when leasing. We plan paint repair on older rentals as lead-safe work. → Lead and older homes
What happens if you don't: property-maintenance fines
St. Joseph adopted the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (Sec. 7-316), and owners are presumed responsible for violations (Sec. 7-318). Administrative citations run $100 per violation for a first citation, then $200, $300 and $450 for repeat citations for the same violation on the same property within 12 months (Sec. 7-324).
Vacant properties have their own rules. A building can't stay boarded up more than 60 days without a mothballing permit (Sec. 7-327), and a residential property that has been vacant at least six months and has code violations must be registered, with a $200 fee renewed every six months (Sec. 7-328).
Plan the visits around your repair list
A turnover list is usually a long run of small items across several trades. We group the handyman items into as few visits as possible, flag anything that needs a licensed electrician or plumber or a permit, and write down what was done, so you have a record for the inspection and for the file.
What to send us
- The address, and whether a rental inspection is already scheduled
- The inspection report or correction list, if you have one
- Roughly when the house was built
- Access details: occupied or vacant, and lockbox or tenant contact
CUSTOMER RECOMMENDATIONS
What customers say about our handyman provider
Selected Facebook recommendations for House Doctors of Saint Joseph, the service provider for St. Joseph Handyman Services. These describe work across the provider’s service area.
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Read Facebook recommendations · Checked September 28, 2026.
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