Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Systematic Inspections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cleveland Heights reviews systematic inspections, expands housing repair and assistance programs
Summary
Assistant Director of Housing Alan Butler told the Housing and Building Committee that the city is advancing its systematic inspection rotation, renewing code review work and expanding grant and loan programs — including ARPA-funded flexibility — while preparing outreach materials for landlords and tenants.
Assistant Director of Housing Alan Butler told the Cleveland Heights City Council Housing and Building Committee on April 14 that the city has advanced its systematic property-inspection program and is moving several housing-preservation initiatives toward implementation.
Butler said rental properties are inspected on a three-year rotation and owner-occupied exteriors on a five-year rotation, and the city also requires point-of-sale inspections when title changes. "We typically request a rental inspection on a rental property every 3 years," Butler said. He said complaint-driven inspections continue through the SeeClickFix system and that the department began the current year's rotation earlier than usual, in March.
The update matters because inspection schedules and related enforcement tools shape neighborhood housing conditions and the city's ability to respond to unsafe or vacant properties. Butler framed the programs as part of a broader housing-preservation strategy that combines enforcement, assistance and targeted redevelopment.
Key details Butler gave to the committee:
- Rental registrations: roughly 3,600 rental registrations are sent annually (figure described as "typical" by staff). Out-of-county owner registrations run about 1,200 per year. Foreclosure-bond registrations require lenders to post a $15,000 bond for vacant properties with pending foreclosure when repair needs exist.
- Inspection coverage and schedule: the department reported it is about 75 percent complete in the current zone, a subset of approximately 1,200'1,500 parcels. Butler said the office has completed roughly 750'1,000 inspections in that zone so far this year.
- Point-of-sale and complaint inspections: point-of-sale inspections continue whenever properties transfer title; complaint inspections are issued through SeeClickFix, which the department monitors and assigns to inspectors. Butler said the SeeClickFix status does not always mean a violation is fully remedied, only that it has been routed to staff for processing.
- Codes and enforcement tools: staff are reviewing the International Property Maintenance Code alongside the city's local ordinances to identify duplications and possible improvements; Butler confirmed the review was a Novak report recommendation. The department also maintains a nuisance-abatement ordinance, a tax-delinquent rental ordinance that restricts issuance of occupancy permits unless taxes and nuisance costs are current, and a smaller civil-penalty process for items such as trash on the tree lawn.
- Staffing and operations: Butler said the building department is fully staffed except for a plumbing inspector; the council previously budgeted two inspector positions. Grass-cutting contractor bids have been returned and the city plans an initial two-week rotation of cuts starting in mid-May.
- Housing preservation programs: Butler outlined loan and grant products the city administers, including a deferred loan for seniors (payable at transfer of title), a 0 percent-interest loan with repayments, senior grants, income-qualified repair grants, and a long-running lead-hazard remediation program (described as operating for more than 20 years). He said a nuisance-abatement program is used for quick exterior cleanups (trash removal, board-ups, grass cutting). Butler said the city is expanding some programs with ARPA funding and that HRRC is increasing down-payment assistance (recently up to $10,000) and looking at making portions forgivable.
- Outreach and tenant information: the committee discussed a one-page tenant-rights pamphlet produced with Legal Aid; Butler said the PDF is already on the city website and printed copies are available at City Hall. Councilmember Larson asked for regular newsletter reminders to increase program awareness; Butler said staff will update flyers and materials as ARPA guidelines are finalized and distribute them through court and other contacts.
Butler also described redevelopment steps for tax-delinquent properties: the city has created a community-investment corporation mechanism to aid transfer and renovation of tax-delinquent structures and has issued requests for expressions of interest (RFEIs) to seek proposals for renovation or demolition and lot assembly.
Ending: Butler said staff will return to the committee with proposed ordinance changes and a preliminary analysis of civil penalties; council leadership asked the department and the law director to prepare options so the council could consider whether to expand administrative civil penalties without unduly increasing subjectivity in enforcement.
