Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This legislation enacts Chapter 4515 of the Columbus City Codes to create the Registry of Residential Rental Properties.
The City of Columbus is facing an affordable housing crisis that disproportionately impacts its lowest income and vulnerable residents, many of whom have no choice but to accept dangerous and unsanitary conditions when the rental property owner fails to make repairs.
The purpose of the Registry of Residential Rental Properties is to promote the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the City of Columbus and to preserve the existing residential rental housing stock by ensuring that the City has accurate data and information regarding rental properties such as, who is responsible for the care and condition of a property, or who may be contacted in emergencies. In addition, it will create a process by which health and safety risks are proactively identified and addressed at rental properties.
The City often lacks reliable information about who owns and operates many residential rental properties, which hinders the ability to reach a contact in an emergency so that issues with critical systems may be addressed and rectified to avoid potential displacement of residents. Ownership and identifying who has care and control of properties can be difficult to determine in situations with LLC, large corporate owners, and ongoing transfers of ownership. Consolidated information regarding numbers of rental units, age of properties, and other data can also be helpful in making policy decisions and developing strategies to address housing shortages, instability and long-term goals.
Relying solely on complaint driven systems often leads to unaddressed ongoing health and safety risks for tenants especially in cases where tenants are hesitant to report violations and poor living conditions for fear of retaliation. Implementing a system of rental property inspections, including preventive education inspections and mandato...
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