Many students at Southeast Missouri State University, mostly upperclassmen and graduate students, choose to live in off-campus housing. The process of finding rental properties can take many months to complete, and the city of Cape Girardeau could soon enact an ordinance to prevent students and the general public from living in unsafe environments.

Officials of the city have known that they need to make specific guidelines to govern over rental housing.

They recently created the Residential Rental Licensing Proposal. If passed by the city council after its third reading, this proposal will become an official ordinance 10 days later.

There have been other ordinances and city policies regarding rental properties that were passed years ago, but these have become outdated, assistant city manager Kelly Green said.

Green said that the Residential Rental Licensing Proposal is a way to update the city's guidelines for rental property and to set a minimum standard for "safe and sanitary conditions."

If passed, this ordinance will give landlords six months to apply for a license to ensure that their rental housing meets the set standards.

If a landlord does not purchase a license or fails to comply with the policy, the landlord could go through a suspension and revocation process, all of which are specifically stated in the ordinance, including how high of a fine a judge can order and how long the license can be suspended or revoked.

The guidelines in the proposed ordinance are meant to meet one's basic needs, such as providing places for food preparation, adequate plumbing and heated water.

The proposal calls for safety precautions to be taken by landlords and individual tenants. In the proposal, safety is defined as, "the condition of being reasonably free from danger and hazards which may cause accident or disease."

If a city-verified inspector such as a police officer or a fire marshal finds a failure to comply, these inspectors can file a complaint with the city.

Green believes that this ordinance, if passed, will be highly effective. Some students across campus shared their opinion.

Lauren Lacavich, a senior who is studying psychology, rents an apartment.

"I feel like the renters should do their part in keeping their place clean," Lacavich said.

Lacavich also said that her landlord provides a stable apartment and she and her roommate keep their apartment tidy.

"I would be OK with it," Lacavich said.

After the ordinance was explained to senior elementary education major Briana Hammon, she agreed with Green and Lacavich that the city's proposal would be beneficial because she believes that there are some "bad" apartments in Cape Girardeau.

"I feel like it could be a good thing for the smaller places, or the places that don't have the proper things," Hammon said.

The ordinance was scheduled to be read during the city council meeting on Sept. 4.

City council meetings are open to the public.

Students who wish to gain additional information about council proceedings are encouraged to attend.