Fair Rent coordinator reports heavy public demand, proposes tenant outreach and case tracking

Carlos, the Fair Rent coordinator for Norwalk City, told the commission that his office receives frequent calls and in-person visits from residents seeking help with landlord–tenant issues and that many callers are seniors or have limited English proficiency. "I get a lot of phone calls. I get a lot of traffic in the office. I get a lot of random questions, and I address and I listen to every resident that comes through my door," Carlos said.

Carlos told commissioners he responds to a wide range of issues beyond fair-rent complaints and that roughly 80 percent of his contacts are tenants while about 20 percent are landlords. He described repeated problems with security deposits and the difficulty many residents face pursuing claims in small-claims court, and said he is exploring a recurring written notice or a Spanish-language guide explaining tenants' rights and how to pursue deposit returns.

Commissioners asked for more structured reporting from Carlos. Vice Chair Fran Collier Clemens and others requested that staff include a Smartsheet-based tracker in the meeting packet that would allow the commission to see trends by ZIP code, topic (for example, rent increases or security deposits), and whether the resident is a voucher holder. Carlos said he maintains such a spreadsheet and will begin pulling reports and including them in forthcoming packets.

Commissioners said a regular report would help the commission prioritize outreach and education; one commissioner suggested using the data to target frequent complaint types with written materials or workshops. Carlos agreed to start preparing monthly summaries and to coordinate a Spanish-language notice for the community.

The commission did not take formal action on a program or resource allocation during the meeting but directed staff to provide the requested tracker and outreach materials for the next meeting packet.