TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file an update on the Proactive Rental Housing Inspection Program. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On June 23, 2015, the City Council adopted an Ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) by adding Chapter 18.30 relating to a Proactive Rental Housing Inspection Program (PRHIP). In addition to codifying the existing PRHIP, the City Council requested staff to report back to the City Council with findings related to: a comprehensive outreach program to educate both tenants and landlords; a list of unresponsive non-compliant landlords; a statistical report to show the number of triplexes and duplexes; a method for collecting good data on units inspected; and a report on incentives to reduce the number of inspections for compliant landlords. On October 21, 2015, the Department of Development Services transmitted a memorandum to the City Council addressing the requested information. This report provides an overview of the information already submitted, plus the most current information available on PRHIP.
The Department of Development Services prepared a number of outreach materials for distribution by landlords (educational materials explaining tenant rights and responsibilities) and explanatory door hangers to be left at inspection sites by inspectors. These documents are widely available and downloadable from the Department’s website and are distributed at various community meetings. Staff recently solicited proposals to provide an outreach program to strengthen the awareness of PHRIP. This outreach program is intended to encourage participation in PRHIP and will be specifically targeted at non-English speakers and other residents who may have difficulty or reluctance in utilizing code enforcement services. The Fair Housing Foundation of Orange County was selected for this work, and will begin the outreach program in April. The selected consultant will work with the Apartment Association, Southern California Cities (A...
Click here for full text