In an effort to ensure the provision of safe and sanitary rental housing in Oskaloosa, the Oskaloosa City Council has established a Rental Housing Inspection Program that went into effect on July 1, 2017. This webpage is intended to provide important information to landlords as this program is implemented.

2018 Landlord Informational Meetings

There will be public informational meetings for landlords held this summer. The purpose of these meetings is to inform landlords of a few administrative changes to the program, to discuss common violations identified during the inspections, and to clarify any questions about the program. All meetings will cover the same material and will be open to the public. Landlords are not required to attend the meetings, but are encouraged to do so.

Administrative Changes

Following the 2018 Rental Housing Inspection Program 2018 Audit Report, the Oskaloosa City Council approved changes to the program's Administrative Plan. Here is a mark-up of the Administrative Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Following the public informational meetings for landlords leading up to program implementation, a document with responses to Frequently Asked Questions was created. Please follow the link to see the responses.

All housing units rented (or being offered for rent) within the Oskaloosa City limits must be registered with the City. Landlords must register new properties within 30 days of acquisition or within 30 days of putting a property out into the rental market. Unregistered rental properties face a $50/day late fee up to a maximum of $500 per property.

The Rental Housing Registration Form must be submitted  in-person or by mail to the Oskaloosa Public Works facility at 804 South D Street.

Inspection Checklist

At the time of registration, landlords must verify that their properties meet the requirements outlined in the Rental Housing Inspection Checklist. If there are questions about applicability of the checklist, contact the Development Services Department.

Inspection Schedule

The baseline schedule for the inspection of all rental properties shall be once every three (3) years. As a benefit to compliant landlords, properties that pass the first inspection, with no noted concerns from the inspector, will not need to be inspected for another four years. Rental properties that require two or more inspections (three or more during the first three-year cycle) to pass and that receive multiple noted concerns from the inspector will need to be inspected every year until they pass on their first inspection. Those rental properties will then move to the standard inspection cycle.

City staff will contact landlords via mail with a notice to schedule the inspection of their rental properties. When landlords receive their notice, they will need to contact the contracted Rental Inspector. Iowa Inspections LLC is the city’s designated inspector and can be reached at  or by phone at 515-270-2449.

Authorization