06.02 Rental Property Ordinance - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Burslie stated the Planning Commission needs to make a recommendation to the City Council whether or not to adopt a rental ordinance. If the recommendation is to adopt an ordinance we need to choose which type to use so Staff can begin drafting the ordinance. The Public Hearing would be held at a Planning Commission meeting. Planning Commission Member Wallin asked why are defining a rental house versus an owner occupied house? If we are going to inspect homes for safety,why not all homes? Renters and landlords have state laws that need to be followed. Who is going to enforce that the repairs are made? Will the insurance costs for the City be increased?What is the real cost to the City? Mr. Burslie stated he doesn't have an opinion one way or the other. The City needs to make that decision. If a homeowner chooses to live in a house without running water, that is their choice. If a landlord won't fix the water I suppose the tenant could move. The idea behind this might be there are dilapidated units in the City that are not up to Code and there is no recourse. Planning Commission Member Wallin stated as an example,the outside is dilapidated but they have heat,water, and sewer and may be paying only $350 or $40o a month. The tenants may only make $�oo per month. Does the City need to be involved in that relationship between the tenant and landlord? Planning Commission Member Birch stated low income individuals have less ability to pay security deposits, etc.to get into a new place. They also may need to pass a credit check to get into the new place and may not have that ability. Simply moving isn't always an option. Chair Hallan stated this type of ordinance, as with all ordinances,you are setting the standard for quality of life in your community. There are rural areas where a person can live without basic necessities. Planning Commission Member Wallin stated there are other avenues for tenants to use. There is a pamphlet for landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities. There are services at the County level they can go through. What is the role of the City? Is it to provide safety to tenants or provide sewer,water, and road maintenance? Should the City be involved with tenant/landlord issues? Planning Commission Member Birch stated he didn't think Pequot Lakes had an issue with rental properties that would require this type of ordinance. He also pointed out that use of the term "slum lord"should be retracted from materials online. It may give the impression that Pequot Lakes is dealing with slum issues. Chair Hallan stated this issue was brought to the Planning Commission by the City Council because they are dealing with a few properties. 4