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Home My WebLink About_ACT 317 Rental Inspections Workshop RESIDENTIAL RENTAL PROGRAM WORKSHOP with Common Council and Rental Housing Advisory Board JUNE 26, 2018 at 5:00 PM Room 404 6/22/2018 State Law l Act 317 recently adopted Amendments were adopted in the Spring, 2oi8. The City may require a City-wide contact listing and registration. The City may implement a City Nvide District specific program of regularly scheduled inspections. The City may charge fees for inspections according to state statute. Need for a Rental Contact Listing Ownership of rental units can vary greatly and City staff can have great difficulty in contacting owners: • Local vs. non-local ownership. • Foreclosure, bankruptcy etc. Phone numbers unknown. Management responsibility unknown. • Limited Liability Corporations sometimes do not provide updated information. • Police &Fire Department lack emergency contacts. • Code Enforcement notices can be difficult to deliver. 1 6/22/2018 Rental Contact Listing and Registration • Web-based availability 24/7 • Easy updates throughout the year. • Voluntary sign up for Email contacts for owners who wish to be informed of City contacts with tenants and property. • No fee and is for the entire parcel/address, regardless of number of units contained. Residential Rental Inspection Program City wide District program schedule for inspections is once every 5-years. • City will contact tenants to arrange for inspection. • Code violations must be corrected in 7 to 3o days, unless extension granted. • Dwelling units where habitability violations are not corrected in 3o days will have additional re-inspections until violations are corrected. • The dwelling unit will be required to pass.2 consecutive annual inspection before they return to a 5-year inspection cycle. Landlords can still arrange for vacant unit inspections. 2 6/22/2018 2017 and 2018 Inspection Results • Mailed 142 letters to tenants located in general area from the University to Jackson Street: • 47 tenants requested inspections and staff performed interior and exterior inspections(6.3%participation) • 100%of the rental units with interior inspections had health and safety code violations. • Total of 305 violations corrected. • Average of 6.49 violations per unit. • 26o rental units received only exterior inspection. • 88%of the rental units had health and safety violations. ® Average of m8 violations per unit. 435 units were not inspected since the State changed the program in aor8. Residential Rental Inspection Program •—A11-Residential Rental Dwelling Units,not owner-occupied. • Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s)identified and approved by City Council. Adopted map would identify the blocks to be included-based on state statute. Rental Housing Advisory Board could review and could make a recommendation. • Complaint-based inspections added to the inspection program- habitability violations not corrected within3o days result in adding dwelling unit to annual inspections,even if not in a designated District. • Exemptions: • State facilities owned,licensed or certified like dorms,nursing homes, convalescent homes. • Community Based Residential Facilities • Hospitals or other medical facilities • Hotels,motels. 3 6/22/2018 y - ighb hood Stabilizon an Enhancement District City would create the District according to State Code. Based on data created for the Oshkosh Neighborhood Scorecard mapping. Criteria related to blight in the District: • Code enforcement cases. • Police calls for crimes against property. • Police calls for crimes against persons. • Assessor data regarding housing conditions. • Location of vacant houses. • Location of foreclosures. Fees Rental Unit Contact listing &Registration - No Fee Both Interior& Exterior Inspections required -Would occur once every 5 years. $,.5 iron+-.i, nit_siee trip chargep�a s$ ;it $o for first inspection $o for and inspection if all violations corrected. if violations are not corrected-$yo($751vacant unit)plus $iso($751vacant unit)for and inspection $iso($751vacant unit)for each subsequent inspection until violations are corrected. Re-inspe Fee -;;-n-d up to double the T„ 4 6/22/2018 Why doesn't the City Rental - Inspection Program just target the university area or just the "bad landlords"? Ct-4to T X14, ii. ental inspection program to be u i-ferm t1ho QtY The City can select blocks and/or neighborhoods for the rental housing inspections within the Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District. Inspection option #1 Option #i - Perform inspections approved by tenant - do not perform "exterior-only" inspections. Fiscal Impact: Least expensive option - no added staff time. Neighborhood Impact: No exterior violations are corrected. Habitability Impact: No interior violations are corrected. 5 6/22/2018 Inspection option #2 Option #2 - Perform inspections approved by tenant and Complaint-based only inspections. • Fiscal Impact: Most of staff time recovered through fees, uses existing staff. R Neighborhood Impact: Specific exterior violations are corrected and addresses complainant's concerns. • Habitability Impact: No interior violations are corrected. or�W� f - Inspection option #3 a Option#3- Perform inspections approved by tenant. Perform Habitability inspections for exteriors within the Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement District(s). Fees would follow State code: 1st inspection: $o cost • and inspection with violations corrected within 3o days: $o cost. • if violations are not corrected- $75 plus$75 for and inspection • $75 for each subsequent inspection until violations are corrected. • Fiscal Impact: Additional staff time required $75,000+/-, minimal revenue to recover costs. • Neighborhood Impact: Exterior violations are corrected and property is exempt for 5-years from exterior inspection. • Habitability Impact: No interior violations are corrected. 6 6/22/2018 Inspection option #4 • Option 114-Perform inspections approved by tenant. Expand"Gateway inspections" program of exterior inspections of all properties,residential and commercial,owner- occupied and rentals. Areas to be determined. • Inspection includes Housing Code,Property Maintenance Code,Nuisance Code and includes the 3"unforgivable violations: long grass,junk and debris,and parked vehicles on grass. • Fees would follow Citys code enforcement service fees schedule: • $o for first inspection, • $roo for 2nd inspection, • $zoo for 3rd inspection, • $300 for 4th and subsequent inspections. • Fiscal Impact: Additional staff time$75,000+/-,more revenue generated from program, but not all costs are recovered. • Neighborhood Impact: Exterior violations are corrected and addresses neighborhood's concerns,more property maintenance and nuisance violations are corrected. • Habitability Impact: No interior violations are corrected. W lit- are Renta-1 Housing Program inspections going to cost a Landlord? • The Contact listing and registration is no cost. • The inspection is once every 5 years within the District. • $o if the unit has no violations. 4 $o if the unit violations are corrected in 3o days. 4 $zoo (si5o/vacant unit) if the unit violations are not corrected in 3o days. ® $i5o ($75/vacant unit)for each subsequent inspection. 7 6/22/2018 what if the Landlord cannot afford to correct health and safety code violations? If the landlord cannot afford to correct the code violations, the City will offer loan programs to help finance the improvements. One program is targeted to neighborhoods with existing neighborhood associations. One program is available city-wide. What if the landlorcFdoes not agree with the inspector's findings of a code violation? The landlord could appeal the inspector's findings to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Zoning Board of Appeals would then determine whether the conditions meet the minimum codes or not. If the Landlord or City are not satisfied with the ruling, either could appeal the ruling to Winnebago County Circuit Court. 8 6/22/2018 Next steps? Create process for input, review and recommendations in conjunction with the Rental Housing Advisory Board. • Invite Winnebago Apartment Association to attend Rental Housing Advisory Board meetings and provide input. • Create clear goals, district(s) and procedures for a rental housing inspection program. • Select an exterior inspection program. • Create a communications plan that includes landlords, tenants, neighbors and balance of community. 9