City Leaders: Landlords Lookout!

By: Barbara Herring | WSAV-TV
Published: May 15, 2008

The City of Savannah is ready to get tough on landlords with trashy rundown property. They don’t know exactly how they’ll do it yet, but it looks like there are fines and forced inspections coming soon.

Bacon Park Neighbor Elizabeth Scott is fed up with the rental properties in her neighborhood, “They park all over the yards, and there are the wild parties and trash everywhere.”

Scott is not the only one looking for tougher enforcement on rentals; Neighborhood groups all over town have demanded it. Southside Alderman Tony Thomas started asking for a Landlord Responsibility Ordinance four years ago. Now it looks like that new law is just a few weeks away.

Part of the reason for the renewed push toward restrictions is new information that proves rentals are a major front in the city’s War on Blight. “Statistically we know that more than 90 percent of the housing code violations in 2007 dealt with rental properties,” explains Assistant City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney.

So far, there is no exact language for the ordinance but neighbors say they know what they want it to do. “Make property owners responsible,” Scott says simply. “Right now, it’s the regular people, the citizens and the homeowners that suffer. We pay the price for them with lower values and litter.”

Small-Toney says the ordinance will only impact “bad” landlords, those with multiple property maintenance violations. Those that don’t clean up within the proscribed time could face forced property inspections and fines.

Language for the new ordinance is expected this week; it should come before city council for a vote this Summer.

City Leaders: Landlords Lookout!

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