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Take a Stand for Safe Housing

April 1, 2019

Take a Stand for Safe Housing

On Tuesday, April 2, the Omaha City Council will take an important vote on a rental housing ordinance. It’s time that our city takes a stand and implements proactive inspections.
 
Please call or email your city councilmember and the mayor, urging them to support Amendment 1, the Gray/Jerram/Festersen amendment for proactive inspections, which will help the rental housing stock in our neighborhoods, creating safe rental homes.
 
Amendment 1, submitted by Councilmembers Gray, Jerram, and Festersen, would adopt a registration of all rental properties (no fee). The inspection cycle would start in 2020 for properties with a history of code violations, and a proactive inspection system would start in four years for all rental properties. This gives owners time to prepare for inspections and for the City to find ways to limit the impact on owners who keep their properties well maintained.
 
Contact the mayor and your city councilmember (find your councilmember here):
Below are talking points to help inform your email or call:
  • Please support proactive inspections to protect the safety of homes and vitality of our neighborhoods.
  • Focusing only on the 1,100 existing “problem properties” that were identified by complaints would not have prevented Yale Park—many tenants are afraid to complain.
  • Council Bluffs and La Vista have found proactive inspections provide an occasional check on living conditions that are to the benefit of both tenants and landlords, identifying and fixing problems before they get out of control.
  • The Gray/Jerram/Festersen amendment specifically states that landlords will not be held responsible for code violations caused by their renters.
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