Committee moves to allow electronic tenant-rights distribution, law department to lower first-offense penalty

Cleveland Heights — At its Jan. 14 Housing and Building Committee meeting, members heard an update on draft tenant-and-landlord rights legislation and signaled support for two key changes: allowing electronic distribution of the required rights notice in many cases, and lowering the penalty for a first-time infraction to a minor misdemeanor with a fine of up to $150.

The committee was told that the current draft requires property owners to provide a paper copy of the rights and responsibilities notice after the ordinance takes effect (anticipated distribution timing discussed in the draft as June or July). Committee members said electronic distribution should be permitted when landlords already have tenants’ email addresses or use electronic-signature systems such as DocuSign; the draft will be revised to allow that. The committee also discussed whether the notice must be reissued annually or whether providing it at initial lease signing and at lease renewal would be sufficient.

Why it matters: The changes affect how tenants receive information about rights and how landlords comply. Allowing electronic delivery could speed dissemination and lower mailing costs, but members asked the committee to preserve a paper option for tenants who lack email access.

Committee discussion and details - Distribution method: Committee members agreed a digital copy should be acceptable when landlords have a tenant’s email or execute agreements electronically. If a tenant does not have an email address, a paper copy would still be required. The draft currently calls for paper distribution in the initial rollout; the law department will clarify the final timing and the conditions under which electronic copies are acceptable. - DocuSign/electronic signing: The committee supported allowing landlords who execute leases electronically to distribute the notice electronically. - Frequency: The draft requires annual distribution. Some members said providing the notice at initial lease signing and at lease renewal would likely match the cadence of most 12-month leases; the law department will consider changing the language from an annual requirement to initial and renewal distribution. - Penalty: The committee discussed changing the penalty structure. The law department will revise the draft so that a first-time infraction is a minor misdemeanor with a fine up to $150. Council members discussed trying the lower penalty for an initial period (one year) and then reassessing whether a stiffer penalty is needed for repeat violations. - Access concerns: Members raised that low-income tenants or others without regular digital access should still receive paper copies; the committee instructed the law department to preserve that option.

Next steps: The committee chair asked the law department to update the ordinance language to reflect the electronic-distribution option, DocuSign allowance, the revised penalty language, and clarified timing for initial distribution versus annual reissuance. The committee did not take a formal vote during the meeting.

Quotes “I’m just impressed you’ve gotten people that are reading it and attending to it and sending you a question,” Councilwoman Larson said, praising public engagement on the draft.

Ending: The law department will produce an amended draft for committee review; committee members said they expect to reassess the ordinance after an initial implementation period if the reduced penalty does not achieve compliance.