HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council acted Tuesday to clarify a section of the building trades code that lets landlords do work on property they own that is not their primary residence.
"A landlord who owns an apartment complex and wants to remodel one unit in their building, why should they need to hire a contractor for that?" said City Building Inspector Izzy Rivera. "They still need to hire the trade contractors, but to do the basic remodeling work, they can do that themselves."
The clarifying language in the exceptions section now says, "An owner remodeling or repairing a building or property other than a building or property they occupy, provided that all sub-contractors are licensed or registered."
That means specialists like plumbers or electricians would have to be licensed. The motion passed unanimously.