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Permit program planned for rental housing
(by Sue Reid - January 28, 2010)
Permit program planned for rental housing
By SUE REID
Solon City Council approved an ordinance last week to refer a proposed rental-unit occupancy permit ordinance to the planning commission for review.
The ordinance establishing the permit program will address the approximately 1,000 rental units in the city, including apartments and single-family homes.
That number likely is to increase as the city continues to mature, city Planning Director Robert S. Frankland said.
"The overall increase in the number of rental units will present the city with new challenges in the coming years," he said. "These will include ensuring that residential rental units and premises are adequately maintained, that the health, safety and welfare of those occupying rental units is appropriately protected, and that neighborhood property values are preserved," Mr. Frankland said.
To address the challenges, many communities have established permit and inspection programs for residential rental units, he said.
The program that Mr. Frankland described to Mayor Susan A. Drucker and City Council would establish a yearly permit process, administered through the city building department, for all residential rental units within the city. An initial inspection of the interior and exterior of the rental unit would be conducted to insure compliance with minimum building safety and property maintenance standards. Subsequent on-site inspections of each rental unit and premises would be scheduled every one to three years, Mr. Frankland said.
"Adopting a rental-unit occupancy permit program would be an important first step toward addressing one of the greatest challenge that faces any maturing community," Mr. Frankland said. "That is protecting the quality of the existing housing stock and maintaining neighborhood property values."
Councilman William I. Russo, who represents Ward 7, where many rental homes are located, said this is an issue he campaigned on a couple of years ago. "I've been patiently waiting for this to come through," he said.
Mr. Russo said he attended a forum last year conducted by the Cleveland Area Board of Realtors for mayors serving communities on the east side of the Cuyahoga County and found it unusual that Solon was one of the only ones which did not have a rental ordinance in place.
"Each mayor who spoke talked about their housing and about having tough rental standards," Mr. Russo said. "The whole idea is to keep up property values." He said he wants the ordinance being prepared for Solon to be a "well-balanced" one.
"I didn't want people to think it will be overly in favor of the tenants," Mr. Russo said. "I think we need to get a balance and get some input from the property owners themselves."
Mr. Russo said this can be accomplished through public hearings. He said he also wants to look at shrinking the size of the ordinance proposed, which may include more detail than necessary.
He said one of the reasons he feels strongly that this ordinance is needed is not only because he heard complaints in his ward, but also as a member of the Solon Benevolent Fund, poor conditions people were living in was discovered during the interview process. He said this does not mean that every home has issues, because there are many responsible property owners out there.
"This is a very important piece of legislation," Councilman Robert N. Pelunis said. He represents Ward 2, where Liberty Hill Apartments are located. He said that, moving forward, he would like to have public hearings scheduled for both renters and property managers to come and be able to voice their concerns.
Councilman Richard A. Bell, who represents Ward 1 where Solon Park Apartments are located, said he sees as a potential issue the schools' ability to enforce the ordinance. "It is difficult to determine who is going to our schools and who should be there or not," he said.
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