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Attachment A <br />Rental Housing Code Staff Report – April 18, 2012 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />COMPLAINTS AND THE PROCESS <br />The primary goal of the complaint procedure is to bring about resolution without the need for <br />City enforcement or penalties. A complaint may be filed with the City only after the tenant has <br />sent a written request to the owner or property manager and allowed 10 days for the owner to <br />respond. The following diagram shows how a complaint is generally processed. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />In fiscal year 2011, staff logged approximately 750 calls seeking assistance with maintenance <br />issues as well as other concerns such as pests/vermin, appliances, and eviction. Based on the <br />number of tenant calls in relation to the actual complaints received we believe a significant <br />portion of the tenant issues are resolved after the owner receives written communication from <br />their tenant. It may also be the case that the written notice is a barrier to tenants, and they do not <br />pursue their issues after they learn of that requirement. Barriers to filing a complaint with the <br />City may include fear of retaliation by owner, language barriers, and fear of a rent increase. In <br />addition, the City has heard that there is lack of awareness about resources that may be available <br />to tenants. <br />4 | Page <br /> <br />