While city councilor candidates and ASUO members continue to call for city-regulated rental housing standards, Corvallis already has a housing code proposal that could be implemented as early as July 1, a lead many local citizens hope Eugene will follow.
Eugene does not have a city-regulated housing code, and ASUO Community Outreach Coordinator Megan Hughes said a plan similar to the housing code in Corvallis would be a much-needed solution.
With the primary election Tuesday, both candidates vying to represent University students on the city council said a housing code would improve living conditions in the campus area and throughout the city.
The Corvallis housing code would affect all rentals within the city limit, an estimated 11,500 units. For each unit, landlords would pay $8 annually to support the city’s housing code program. The estimated $92,000 would be used to create and enforce housing standards in the areas of plumbing, heating and structural soundness. The code would also require local units to adequately withstand weather conditions.
The code would financially penalize landlords who refuse to pay annual fees or comply with the new standards. The fines would range from one-time $100 citations to daily assessments of more than $250.
Those who fail to pay fines can expect to have a lien placed against their property.
“At this point in time, I’m sure it’s going to happen,” said Bob Loewen, housing programs specialist for the Corvallis Community Development Department — Housing Division.
Corvallis city councilors will vote on the proposal June 3. With a unanimous vote, it will go into effect July 1. Without unanimous approval, the proposal will be resubmitted two weeks later, when only a majority vote will be necessary for its passage, Loewen said.
Investigation into Corvallis housing began in 1997, when the Associated Students of Oregon State University presented a proposal to city councilors suggesting the implementation of a housing code. In response, the city requested the housing division gather data. After more than two years of investigation, a proposal was submitted earlier this year.
The proposal is very similar to state laws already in place. With the exception of a proposed standard that would require heating to reach at least 68 degrees three feet above the floor, there is little difference, Loewen said.
“The real change is that there is local enforcement,” Loewen said.
If implemented, Loewen said the proposal will meet tenant wishes for quick resolutions to conflicts.
Currently, options for tenants are limited.
If housing standards are not maintained, tenants can ask a landlord to make improvements, do the work themselves and ask for reimbursement, or sue a landlord.
“There’s no one at the state you can go to,” Loewen said.
Loewen said he thinks most landlords will comply with the proposal and added that Oregon State University students should benefit from the changes. But Loewen said most landlords will increase rent-related fees, ultimately meaning that tenants will fund the program.
Current Eugene Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly said he hopes Eugene will take steps to adopt a similar city housing plan.
The Corvallis plan, he said,
differs from previous housing codes that were proposed to Eugene councilors in 1995.
“Corvallis is not contemplating a housing code,” Kelly said. “They are contemplating housing standards.”
Kelly said he doesn’t foresee councilor opposition to housing standards, but he does think concerns will be raised. Nonetheless, Kelly said he hopes the city will enact standards or at least begin collecting housing data by the end of the year.
“Corvallis has done a lot of our homework already,” Kelly said.
University junior and Ward 3 candidate Maco Stewart said the Corvallis plan makes sense. Because the code bans specific housing infractions instead of incorporating large-scale requirements, the code protects tenants without overly complex guidelines, he said.
“It’s a lot more enforceable and a lot less expensive,” Stewart said.
Stewart said Eugene had a housing code about 15 years ago, but it was discarded because it proved too expensive for the city and landlords to maintain. As a Pita Pit delivery driver, Stewart said he has had access — albeit limited — to the homes of many local residents.
“It’s a real problem,” the political science major said. “You should see some of the conditions people are living in.”