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City aiming for tenant rights
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by Blake Anderson
Thursday, October 5, 2006
The City of Madison's Housing Committee met Wednesday to approve new amendments to an ordinance that would allow tenants to get involved in the repair process of their leased facilities.
The new amendments passed the committee by a 13-1 vote.
Committee chairperson Tom Hirsch said the ordinance is aimed toward landlords who may be too busy — or too irresponsible — to repair leased facilities themselves in a timely manner. He said if approved, the plan would give more power to tenants to make changes on their own.
"[The ordinance] is allowing residents, in a situation where there are building code violations, to get repairs done," Hirsch said. "When the landlords are, for whatever reason, not getting them done, the tenants can now take this process into their own hands."
If landlords do not make the necessary repairs as soon as possible, he added, it would be up to the tenants to find a contractor — a task that might not prove to the cheapest of options.
Hirsch also said the ordinance aims to clarify how tenants should go about seeking help for repairs to their leased properties. By specifying the ways in which tenants can do this, the council hopes to help prevent future tenant landlord disputes.
Spearheaded by City Council President Austin King, the lead sponsor, and by cosponsor Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the ordinance is still in the works.
And after awaiting approval for the past several months, Verveer said he sees no reason why landlords are making such a big deal out of what he called a small and helpful ordinance. The ordinance, he added, would only affect landlords who are not properly committing themselves to their tenants.
"I think it will be a relatively small number of landlords that will have to worry about these self-help repairs," Verveer said. "It's mainly the small, irresponsible landlords who will be the ones who have to worry about this."
With a continued effort to further specify the smallest of details, the council hopes to have the ordinance in working condition as soon as possible. And, with the support of both King and Verveer, the ordinance should move along quickly, Hirsch said.
Hirsch added he believes each meeting brings the ordinance closer and closer to completion, with each approved amendment acting as a catalyst towards the ordinance's completed version.
Proposals such as these have been used successfully in other cities, Verveer added.
"This is not a totally new idea we can take credit for," he said. "It's something other communities in Wisconsin have also done."
Anonymous (October 5, 2006 @ 7:25am):
The Daily Cardinal reports the vote was 6-2. Who is correct?
Anonymous (October 6, 2006 @ 1:52am):
The Daily Cardinal didn't actually attend the meeting, and in effect didn't witness the vote.
