BY NICK WILSON
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously to suspend all new rental housing inspections and work to repeal the existing controversial Rental Housing Inspection Program after a town hall workshop Thursday night.
Acting on the input of the majority of roughly 250 people who weighed in at the meeting through facilitated group discussions and public comment, the council directed the city’s staff to schedule a repeal of the ordinance that affects about 4,000 homes.
Under the controversial program, adopted by the council in May 2015, rental homes in San Luis Obispo had been subjected to routine inspections on a three-year cycle to determine whether they conform to health and safety standards.
Since the program was implemented, 915 homes have been inspected.
As the council moves to repeal the ordinance, it’s also working to implement a beefed up code enforcement program.
Council members suggested a public outreach campaign, using mailers, to educate residents on health and safety code compliance, and to make tenants aware of how complaints might be filed.
Other recommendations included a code compliance checklist of satisfactory conditions that a landlord and a tenant could refer to and mutually sign before move-in. The council also suggested a policy to prevent retaliation by landlords against their tenants for filing a complaint.
