Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Vacancy Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee presses staff for details on ongoing rental vacancy study and timeline
Summary
Committee members said they were not informed about a city vacancy study that began in late April and pressed staff for the survey instrument, verification steps and an expected release date; staff said responses are still being collected and the goal is to release the study sometime this summer but that timing depends on response rates and data
Committee members asked staff detailed questions about a rental vacancy study currently underway and expressed frustration that the committee had not been notified earlier that the study had begun. A committee member said constituents had learned of the study informally and that the committee ‘‘had been purposely left out of the loop.’’
Staff told the committee the vacancy study began in late April and that data collection is ongoing. ‘‘There’s no ending per se because I’m still collecting responses,’’ staff said, and added that the goal is to have the study released ‘‘sometime this summer’’ once staff is confident in the responses.
On verification and methodology, staff said there are ‘‘a host of verification steps’’ and that recent state law changes have increased staff’s ability to verify information, including requesting copies of rental rules from property owners. When asked how many properties or units had been canvassed the presenter declined to provide a figure in open session, saying the count depends on survey methodology and that staff would follow up with that information and provide the survey instrument on request.
Committee members pressed staff on timing because May–August are the periods of highest turnover for apartments; one member said that conducting the study in those months ‘‘creates more questions than answers’’ and reiterated the need for the committee to anticipate inquiries from property owners and tenants. Staff offered to circulate the survey and to discuss methodology and verification steps in a follow‑up to the committee.
Ending: Staff committed to provide a copy of the survey instrument, explain verification steps and report back with more precise counts and a projected timeline for releasing the vacancy study results.
