Kokomo, IN Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Section 160.05(C) lets the Rental Housing Officer inspect at his discretion on probable cause drawn from visual observation, personal knowledge, or a written, signed complaint from a resident, government agency, the tenant, the tenant's representative, the owner, or the owner's agent; the complainant's identity is disclosed to the landlord on request. Section 160.05(D) requires the Officer to contact the owner to set an inspection date, then send each tenant a certified letter with return receipt and a stamped postcard; if the tenant is shown to have received the letter but does not respond, consent to enter is presumed, and the owner must grant access on presentation of the official record of notices.

Section 160.07 makes it a violation for an owner or agent to bring or threaten an eviction action to retaliate against a tenant for requesting an inspection under Section 160.05. Section 160.05(H) cuts the other way: anyone found to have maliciously filed a complaint to harass an owner or gain an unlawful advantage is subject to citation and the Section 160.99 penalty, with any such finding appealable to the Board of Public Works and Safety under Section 160.10.