HRSR INFORMATION 05-27-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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SUMMARY 3 • led to establishing a common vision for the target the housing codes to particular city's housing. houses or neighborhoods if resources do not allow inspecting all of them. Implementing Regulatory Strategies Example: In Bemidji, the city follows a g series of steps when owners do not comply with orders to correct deficiencies Among housing strategies that identified during inspections of rental communities may choose are regulatory housing. The city charges a rental strategies, such as adopting local codes registration fee that covers the first and that set standards for property second inspections, but building owners maintenance. Depending on must pay for each reinspection communities' own capacity,implementing necessitated by their failure to correct such strategies may require outside problems. Additional enforcement steps expertise. include letters from the city attorney,police citations, and registration revocations. One best practice for administering The most serious sanction is property housing-related codes is to encourage condemnations. voluntary compliance. When residents Jurisdictions that administer the State Local comply with the codes on their own,fewer Building Code should follow certain best governments public resources are needed for practices to support housing preservation. should encourage enforcement. Ways to achieve voluntary Practices such as publicizing code voluntary compliance include publicizing code requirements,offering technical compliance with requirements,using incentives to reward assistance,and making the permit process housing-related initial compliance,and offering technical convenient,encourage voluntary or financial assistance to violators. compliance. Other best practices are codes. Example: Prior to its annual inspections considering compliance alternatives and of rental units, Mounds View mails to applying the code consistently. rental property owners a list of common Example: Each January, the Melrose code violations as part of the notice that building official holds a contractor seminar their properties are due for inspection. to discuss building code requirements. The list allows owners to fix problems, Because the seminar is accredited by the such as missing smoke detectors or state, contractors receive professional improper clearance to electrical education credits for attending. The equipment, in advance of inspections, well-attended seminars allow sharing of reducing the number of deficiencies and information among contractors from staff time for reinspections. multiple cities and minimize the times that Jurisdictions should ensure consistent the building official has to answer the enforcement when administering same questions. housing-related codes. Consistency helps avoid charges of discrimination or Implementing Supportive arbitrariness. Strategies Example: When Cottage Grove Supportive housing strategies encourage implemented a program to inspect rental people to preserve their buildings. units, the building official developed an Providing access to financial assistance is inspection checklist containing 64 items one supportive strategy. For including foundation drainage and venting of plumbing fixtures. Using the checklist implementation,cities should explore ensures that the city holds each building to partnerships to attain the expertise and the same inspection standards. resources needed to deal with complex, multiple financing sources. Administering housing codes also requires enforcement mechanisms with Example: The Stevens County HRA • increasingly severe sanctions against applies for and administers housing grants noncompliance. A final best practice is to and loans on behalf of cities within the