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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.12.20 Rental Housing MinutesRental Housing Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 12, 2020 Present: Danny Garcia, Timothy Ernst, Steve Herman, Todd Hutchison Linda Jevaltas, Margy Davey Excused: Katrina DeGroot Staff: Allen Davis Community Development Director; John Zarate, Chief Building Inspector; Andrea Flanigan, Recording Secretary Call To Order Mr. Ernst Called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM. Citizen Statements No one appeared for citizen statements. Approval of Minutes- December 11, 2019 The minutes of the December 11, 2019 meeting were approved as distributed. (Davey/Herman) Attorney Forsgren Mr. Forsgren discussed with the board services he is able to provide to students regarding housing. He stated he supports the rental housing inspection program since it shows initiative by the City to keep tenants and students safe. Mr. Garcia asked Attorney Forsgren's opinion on an ordinance that would prohibit landlords from discouraging participation in the rental inspection program. Mr. Forsgren stated he would like to see something like that but believes it would be difficult to enforce. Mr. Ernst inquired if students are aware of the rental inspection program. Mr. Forsgren stated he believes some students are aware of it but it wouldn't hurt to send out an e-mail or more information to the students regarding the program. The board discussed different ways for outreach with Mr. Forsgren and how best to educate students about renting and information regarding the inspections program. New Tenant Law Mr. Garcia stated he would look at drafting language and bringing it forth to the City Manager and City Attorney. The ordinance would prohibit landlords from discouraging rental inspections. The board agreed to move ahead with it. Bill of Rights Mr. Ernst stated he has been working on a tenant bill of rights which lists 10 opportunities and rights tenants have while living in a property. In discussion with the City Manager, it was decided a resolution in support of the Bill of Rights for Tenants would be the best way to proceed. Code Compliance - Landlord Training Mr. Ernst is preparing a powerpoint presentation and breaking down the inspection checklist into interior and exterior. In the presentation there will be state and local laws and how the different items on that checklist fit into those laws. There will also be hints and tips to make corrections. Ms. Davey asked if this was targeted towards landlords. Mr. Ernst stated it would be geared towards landlords that have not been in compliance with the inspections or have not made the repairs. Social and Traditional Media Update Mr. Zarate stated the board has decided to have a theme or topic for each month. January was fire safety and February will be about the importance of renter's insurance. Mr. Ernst stated energy efficiency would be a good topic for March. Ms. Davey stated there is a program for landlords where they can benefit from improving their property. Mr. Zarate stated if there are anymore topics the board would like to have on social media to e-mail him. Inspections Update Mr. Zarate stated there was 1 inspection out of 200 letters that were sent out to tenants. There were two other inspections called in around the University that had just moved in and wanted an inspection. Staff did not consider this a complaint based call because the students had just moved in and were calling about the inspection program. The average number of violations per inspection was 7. Ms. Davey suggested the inspector could leave his card behind for the students to pass along to friends. Residency Requirements for Landlords Mr. Ernst stated there are several communities across the US which have residency requirements. The City does require a landlord or property agent to register with the City so there is a contact person if contact should need to be made. A variety of cities have taken it a step further and required the landlord or agent to live in the City or within a certain distance of the city. Various communities have found it helps deal with a lot of common problems such as mold and ensuring reliable maintenance. Mr. Enrst would like to amend part of the ordinance to include residency in the City along with registration. Mr. Herman stated Council struggled with requiring landlords to register and does not believe they would approve of requiring residency. Mr. Hutchison stated he does not understand what this would solve by approving a residency requirements. Mr. Hutchison has seen this in Milwaukee and it created issues when it comes to tracking and trying to verify that the agent or owner does in fact live in the City. There ends up being a lot of turn over and is extremely difficult to track. Mr. Garcia stated if these out of state landlords see there is a residency requirement, it could end up hindering development in the future. They may not be able to meet the requirement and go somewhere else. Mr. Herman stated the main reason for the registration of landlords was for the police department. If there was an issue at the property they could contact the owner. A majority of the board agreed action on this was not necessary at this time. Follow Up to January 281h Workshop This workshop discussed impediments to fair housing and the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG). Mr. Ernst stated there was a lot of good information in the literature. Future Agenda Items- April 81h 2020 — New Tenant Law — Bill of Rights — Code Compliance — Social Media Updates — Inspection Update — Action Plan and Strategic Plan Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:18 (Davey/Jevaltas)