Lima city councilwoman Carla Thompson said many renters in her city are struggling against unsafe housing conditions. With an older housing stock and a growing rental population, she said tenants are vulnerable.
鈥�I have seen multiple roach and rat infestations that no human should be living through,鈥� Thompson said.
Around a third of Ohioans . In Lima, the majority of people don鈥檛 own the properties they occupy. And Thompson said many struggle to get in touch with their landlords for repairs or emergencies.
The western Ohio city鈥檚 solution is to establish a rental registry: a list of all the landlords in the city and a way to reach them. In the state鈥檚 most populous counties, . Now, a growing number of Ohio鈥檚 small cities are adopting the tool as a way to protect renters鈥� from unsafe housing conditions.
, and have all passed similar legislation in the last three years.
鈥�It's not that everybody deserves a chandelier in the kitchen, but everybody deserves to feel like they can walk through their living room without falling through the floor. Everybody deserves safe housing,鈥� Thompson said.
Lima鈥檚 legislation
The ordinance will require rental property owners to register their contact information and where their properties in Lima are located. Thompson said it will help keep renters safe when emergency situations arise.
鈥淚f there is a house fire or shooting, some things might get turned off or shut down, like gas and electricity. Those aren't going to be turned back on until a homeowner is spoken with and notified,鈥� she said.
Plus, the ordinance will mandate internal inspections for landlords who consistently violate codes. If a landlord has two property maintenance violations within six months or four violations within a year, they will have to allow city officials to evaluate their property for health risks.
Thompson said that鈥檚 to ensure tenants have healthy living conditions and that they鈥檙e not punished for asking for them. The councilwoman said many renters who hold month-to-month leases in her ward fear retribution from landlords when reporting property repair needs.
鈥淪o if we can do internal inspections without having the resident have to tell us that something is wrong, then it's no longer the residents' fault that things need to be fixed,鈥� Thompson said.
Out-of-state landlords
Lima鈥檚 rental registry will also include more requirements for out-of-state property owners. Landlords who live outside of Ohio will now have to designate a property manager that lives in Allen County, or an adjacent county.
Thompson said it鈥檚 in response to many complaints from renters who struggle to contact corporate landlords with concerns.
鈥淭here are companies in Florida that have multiple properties here,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat we're saying to them is you need to have somebody in Allen County that we can reach during an emergency or that is here to fix these things for residents when they need repair.鈥�
"Everybody deserves safe housing."Carla Thompson, Lima city councilwoman
Many of Ohio鈥檚 properties are owned by real estate investors from across the country. In 2021 alone, investors bought around across the state in 2021 alone. That made up a little more than a fifth of Ohio home sales that year, according to data from Pew Research Group.
Thompson said she hopes their local registry discourages those without the means to provide a safe environment for renters from entering the industry.
鈥淭here are people who own homes here who should not be in the business.鈥�