pf_03708 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

� ■ Fallen ceilings in the basement (per homeowner). ■ Extensive water damage to ceilings, floors, carpet, etc. due to roof and/or plumbing leaks (but not structural damage). ■ House full of junk/debris. o City does have authority to address exterior elements (painting, vehicle, junk, roof leak). o City does not have authority to address the potential interior damage (damage to ceilings, walls, floors, carpets, etc.). ■ City code addresses exterior elements. ■ Building code addresses structural and life-safety. ■ None of our current codes address interior deterioration. • The property owner could clean up the outside of the home and paint it, then lock the home and leave it in this condition (as happened on Evelyn). The city would have no authority to require further repairs to the home (no structural damage, not a health issue per Ramsey County Health Dept). • Staff has seen this pattern before. � o The home is then sold to a business that performs minimal repairs (with the distressed sale value, this depresses nearby home values). o The home becomes a marginally maintained rental property, further depressing property values of homes around it. • With t11e Il'MC ii7 effect: • Page 2 o The City could require that any interior damage affecting the usability or func�ionality of the home be repaired (walls, floors, plumbing, debris, etc.). ■ This maintains the livability of the home for the owner (with the cost recouped at future sale). ■ This maintains property values of the home and in the neighborhood. ■ This helps maintains owner-occupied neighborhoods. o The City has home improvement programs available to assist property owners in this predicament. ■ However, by the time a home gets into this condition, there is typically a personal problem at the root, and property owners often can't find it within them to take advantage of the assistance programs.