How to Use Kirksville’s Smart Renter’s Checklist Before Signing a Lease

The City of Kirksville provides a form called The Smart Renter's Checklist for people considering a rental house or apartment.

The City says the form explains what a prospective tenant should look for and what is required by code.

It is meant to help before a renter commits to a property.

The checklist is not a City inspection

Kirksville explicitly says it does not operate a general rental-inspection program.

That means using the Smart Renter's Checklist does not certify that a rental has been inspected or approved by the City.

It is an educational screening tool for the prospective tenant.

If a code concern later needs City involvement, Codes & Planning handles complaints and inspections separately.

Obtain the current City form

The City's Landlord Tenant Information page links to the Smart Renter's Checklist.

The document endpoint has not been reliably retrievable during this project's current research pass.

Because of that, this article does not reproduce or invent an item-by-item checklist.

The City says hard copies are available from:

Codes & Planning Department
201 S. Franklin St., second floor
Kirksville City Hall
660-627-1272

Using the current City form is better than relying on a copied checklist from an old post or generic rental website.

Use it before lease signing

The useful time to inspect a rental is while you still have a decision to make.

Bring the current form when viewing the property.

Read each City item and compare it with the actual condition of the unit.

If an item is unclear, ask the landlord what will be repaired or changed before move-in.

Keep observations separate from conclusions

Seeing something that looks wrong does not automatically establish a code violation.

A practical walkthrough can record:

• what you observed;
• where it was;
• what the landlord said;
• whether a repair was promised;
• whether you need clarification from Codes & Planning.

That keeps the checklist useful without turning a tenant into a building inspector.

Document unresolved conditions

For conditions that matter to your decision, make a written note.

Where appropriate and permitted, photographs can help preserve the condition observed during the walkthrough.

If the landlord agrees to make a repair before move-in, get the agreement into the lease paperwork or other written communication rather than relying only on memory.

Those are practical documentation steps, not claims about what the City's form specifically contains.

Ask Codes & Planning about code questions

The City says the checklist includes information about what code requires.

If the wording is unclear or a condition appears serious, contact Codes & Planning.

That is better than deciding from an Internet forum whether something is legally compliant.

Know what this checklist does not replace

The Smart Renter's Checklist does not replace:

• reading the lease;
• understanding Missouri landlord-tenant law;
• asking about utilities and fees;
• documenting the move-in condition;
• contacting the City about actual code concerns.

The City separately points renters and landlords to the Missouri Attorney General's landlord-tenant materials for legal rights and responsibilities.

The useful sequence

1. Obtain the current Smart Renter's Checklist.
2. Use it while viewing the property.
3. Record concerns and questions.
4. Ask the landlord what will be corrected.
5. Contact Codes & Planning when code requirements are unclear.
6. Read the lease and state landlord-tenant guidance separately.

The important point is timing.

The City's checklist exists so a prospective tenant can examine the property before discovering avoidable problems after signing.