Lima City Councilors Peggy Ehora and Carla Thompson listen to discussion regarding a proposed landlord registry ordinance at a Community and Economic Development meeting Monday in council chambers.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — It has been a recurring topic of conversation for members of Lima City Council, and while a push to create a registration system for landlords owning property within the city of Lima failed to make it out of the committee stage in 2017, it appears that council members will have a chance five years later to consider such legislation.
Councilors Carla Thompson, Peggy Ehora and Derry Glenn held a meeting of the council’s Community and Economic Development Committee on Monday, during which an ordinance to create a landlord registry and licensing procedure for the city was discussed. While the final wording of the ordinance has yet to be completed, the idea behind the registry is to give city officials the means to be able to contact rental property owners and coordinate regular property inspections to ensure that renters are living in adequate safety. The need for this is great, proponents say, as more than half of Lima’s housing is rented rather than owner-occupied.
According to Lima’s Housing and Neighborhoods Director Andria Beach Perkins, similar registries have been implemented in several cities throughout the state, including Bowling Green, Toledo and Springfield, not to mention Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
“Cities have found registration, licensing and inspection to be a valuable tool in improving the health, safety and welfare for their citizens,” Perkins said in a pre-released statement. “This ordinance will help ensure that tenants live in safe and well-maintained housing, as well as protect the property values for our landlords and create a level playing field.”
Some of Monday’s discussion centered around the increased demand for housing for college students and how that has influenced the rental market in the city, as increased demand has led to renters paying higher rates for properties that may not be well maintained.
Seventh Ward Councilor Jon Neeper, who was in attendance, expressed opposition to the registry. He pointed to some of the issues that landlords face from tenants. He cited an example of a rental property next to his home that was damaged by UNOH students who had been renting it.
“When they moved out, I went in with the landlord, and they had torn the drywall out of the ceiling,” he said. “They had an engine hoist in their front room. There is no recourse whatsoever for a landlord against those children. If we’re talking about serious issues with this registry, that needs to be a part of it.”
Thompson, who voiced support for this registry, responded by saying that it is on the landlords to ensure they are doing due diligence in screening their tenants, and that is not up to the city. What is up to the city, she said, is ensuring that any available housing is meeting a standard of livability for tenants and that a registry can help accomplish that.
“A lot of people are saying that this is private property,” she said. “For me, the argument is that if you are renting out these properties, it’s no longer that. It is a business. So just like we inspect food and clothing and other basic needs, we should also be inspecting housing.”
The city’s law department is completing the draft of the ordinance, which should be ready for council to consider in late July or early August.
