Large rental buildings with 20 units or more with a constant history of 311 calls and city housing violations could find themselves on a type of public “naughty” list kept by the city council.
As part of a bill advanced by the Economic and Community Development committee on Tuesday, properties on that list could trigger a series of inspections from the housing department that could result in a loss of licensure if not corrected.
Bill sponsor Councilman Zeke Cohen introduced the legislation, known as the Strengthening Renters’ Safety Act, last February — in part as a response to conditions he saw in senior buildings throughout the city as he worked to create the Office of Aging.
“The conditions were pretty appalling in some of the buildings,” said Cohen, who is also the Democratic nominee for City Council President. In the past he has described seeing those elderly residents living in units with mold, vermin, and broken elevators.
“This legislation really came out of a belief that we need to make sure we are holding this relatively small but again influential and important subset of slum landlords accountable to fix the problems within their buildings.”
Since its introduction, the bill has undergone a number of changes. In its current state, a building could be placed on a priority list if they meet two of the following conditions; a code violation that goes uncorrected for more than 90 days, four or more interior violations, and repeated 311 calls for interior building issues.
Additionally, the Department of Housing and Community Development would need to take a more proactive role in notifying tenants if they are living in an unlicensed property. While current city law requires landlords to have a publicly displayed license to collect rent, the burden is ultimately on tenants to check with online DHCD records to make sure the license is current.
Earlier this spring, two children and a young man were killed when a fire broke out in a Highlandtown rowhome. The license in that property had lapsed and the unit did not have working smoke detectors; a requirement for licensure.
City Finance Director Laura Larsen pointed out potential challenges for implementation, most notably that the city has a number of vacancies in the housing department.
“[DHCD] still believe that they will need additional staffing resources in order to fully implement the policy,” said Larsen. “So we do anticipate that the incremental impact of implementing the policy will be about a million dollars a year.”
The full council will decide Monday whether to advance the bill further.
