COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus leaders unveiled a modification of a city code that would hold property owners responsible for relocation and housing if tenants are forced to leave their homes because of an emergency vacate order.
Columbus City Council approved the Relocation Assistance Code on Monday.
Assistance would be provided in two ways:
- If displacement is temporary because of repairs, the property owner will cover temporary housing costs for up to three months as long as they are deemed reasonable and necessary.
- If a unit can’t be reoccupied, property owners will be required to provide a cash payment to the tenants equal to three times the monthly fair market rent. The amount is determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development based on household size.
If a property owner refuses to pay, the modified code will allow city leaders to help and pursue repayment from the owner by any means authorized by law.
You can read the full Relocation Assistance Code here.
The modified city code comes as the city is working to recover millions of dollars in relocation costs from the property owners of Latitude Five25 and Colonial Village apartments. Hundreds of former tenants were displaced after officials said they were living in inhabitable living conditions. The city paid out more than $9 million in relocation costs for those residents.
"Property owners who fail to invest in their properties should be held accountable to the City and to the people whose lives are upended through no fault of their own," said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. “These proposals strengthen our commitment to our friends and neighbors, ensure that landlords have skin in the game, and fit into our all of the above approach to preserve existing housing units and get new ones onto the market so that we can begin to address our region’s housing shortage.”
City leaders say these changes will not hurt the property owner who is doing the right thing.
City council members also approved two other pieces of housing legislation to create a Vacant Building Registry and a Foreclosed Property Registry. The registries would make it so vacant and foreclosed properties are protected and maintained.