HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-2015 PH1 Cross�'OUNCIL MEETING :�
MAY 0 4 2015
Dear Mayor and City Council Members: 51_0, CITY CL ERK
First, let me begin by saying I am in support of the staff recommended Rental Inspection
Ordinance program. Is it perfect and will there be some missteps along the way? Perfection is
a hard goal to reach and there will be issues that arise during the initial inspection phase. I
don't see how the City will be able to inspect all the rental units within the first 3 year cycle.
I've got a guess that there are many more rental properties than have even been estimated.
Even with self - certification in future years it is going to be tough to get all the rental properties
inspected within 3 years.
However, this program is long overdue. I can still recall sitting in the Council Chambers with the
late Cydney Holcomb wondering how the fire department just derailed the progress on a R1
Rental Inspection plan and instead steered the Council to approve a fee for multi - family fire
inspections. I still shake my head when I think back to that meeting.
I understand that owners of rental properties in the R1 and R2 zones are not too keen on this
program. I get it that some people don't like regulation, especially if those regulations have a
direct effect on them. The group that already maintains their property to the standards
understandably views the regulation as just another cost that will have no benefit for their
tenants. The second group, whose properties will not be in compliance are dead set against the
ordinance because; one they don't want to get caught and two they don't want to have to
sped money to make their property safe for tenants.
The real stakeholders, the group of folks who will benefit —the tenants and the community in
the long run tend to not be especially involved in the process which is understandable in that
they don't see an immediate financial affect or impact. I know that there have been those that
say that the costs will be ultimately borne by the renters. Whether or not that actually happens
is purely speculative. A quick perusal of craigslist ads tells me that many property owners are
already charging what I would consider are incredible rents. $4000 per month for a four
bedroom tract house in my neighborhood that has been a rental for many, many years. It's
hard to believe that $300 every 3 years would break a property owner.
Let's face it, the student population will rent properties that are not up to code and in many
cases are very unsafe. Many students see living in a poorly maintained house as part of their
college experience that in the future they can tell their children about and how they lived in this
dump of a house when they went to college in San Luis Obispo way back when. Many students
feel if they bring up issues to the landlord or contact the City they will lose their leases. So they
end up living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
Unfortunately those poorly maintained homes are already having an effect. Parents are looking
at properties for rent, many near campus, and saying that there is no way they are going to pay
between $800 and $1000 per month for their son or daughter to live in a dump like that. So
what happens to those homes that students won't even live in? There is real potential in this
community to end up with a significant number of vacant homes in areas that have been
neglected by property owners who believed that there would always be a demand for their
rental regardless of the upkeep. The Rental Inspection Ordinance is not only good for renters
but the community as whole as the ordinance insures the housing stock is properly maintained.
Lastly, there has been a bit of discussion from those in opposition to the ordinance that if folks
who are supportive of the ordinance truly care about the safety of everyone who lives in San
Luis Obispo they would support inspection of all residential properties, not just rental. This is
just a not so thinly disguised attempt to get all homeowners up in arms and keep the ordinance
from being approved. There is a significant difference between a person who owns their home
and a business owner who purchases a property to rent out to the public. One is a business the
other is not, they are vastly different concepts. There are lots of examples where businesses
engage in activities that are similar to those done by individuals but businesses are subject to
regulation and individuals are not.
Sincerely,
Brett Cross
San Luis Obispo