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Rental properties to be held accountable |
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Friday, September 28 2007 |
By CHRIS MEYERS
Staff writer
The Town of Larwill is taking steps to deal with dilapidated buildings in town and to ensure that all residents living in rental properties are in a safe building.
Town council members held a special meeting Thursday night to discuss three local rental units in violation of the town’s rental ordinance and to develop an outline for how to handle such cases in the future.
Craig Wagner of the Whitley County Building Department was also on hand to offer the council advice on how to either force the buildings’ owners to fix them or have them demolished.
He said he got three complaints the previous week about rental units in town not being safe or up to code in other ways.
“I’m willing to help Larwill enforce its ordinance,” he said.
The town has its own rental inspector, and although Wagner said he doesn’t want to step on the toes of the local inspector, he is willing to share information and offer inspections for building safety if needed.
He said one of the buildings in question is showing some signs of the foundation settling, and is bordering on being an unsafe building.
“At least one of those buildings is now showing structural deficiency,” Wagner said.
The town’s rental ordinance states that building owners need to comply with state and county laws regarding safe living conditions and must show evidence of compliance with the ordinance every two years.
If there is a violation, the owner has 30 days to fix the problem or the town can revoke the owner’s rental permit.
Clerk-treasurer Renee Sills added that one of the building owners does not have a rental permit.
Wagner recommended using the town’s ordinance to solve the problems because using the unsafe building ordinance would likely take longer.
Should a building be declared unsafe, the owner is allowed 60 days to make needed repairs, according to state law.
If the repairs are not made in that time frame the town council can have a public hearing and allow an extension on the deadline.
If the deadline is not met, the town can start taking bids for demolition costs 10 days after the deadline.
Once demolished, the town will have to pay for the bill and seek reimbursement from the property owner.
One issue council members have with the demolition of a building would be removing people from their homes.
“I would hate to put somebody out of their home,” but the buildings need to be safe and healthy living environments, said town attorney Greg Hockemeyer.
Council member Rick Hobbs voiced concerns about the town getting caught in a legal battle in the event of a demolition order.
Hockemeyer said the property owner could seek an injunction in court to stop the demolition but it would be unlikely. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, October 02 2007 )
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