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Richmond Rent Board directs staff to draft lien ordinance to recover unpaid rental program fees
Summary
The Richmond Rent Board voted to ask staff to work with city attorneys to draft an ordinance allowing the rent program to place liens on properties for unpaid residential rental housing fees; the proposal would follow city lien procedures and require city council approval before liens are recorded with the county.
At its October Richmond Rent Board meeting, members voted 4-0, with Board Member Espinosa absent, to direct staff to collaborate with the city attorney and other city staff to draft ordinance language enabling the rent program to record property liens for unpaid residential rental housing fees.
The measure, presented by Executive Director Nicholas Traylor, would authorize a rent-board-specific lien process modeled on existing city procedures to improve fee collection, protect the rent program’s budget and align revenue sharing with the cooperation agreement between the board and the city. "Adopting a rent board specific lien ordinance is a prudent and necessary step to strengthen the program's financial foundation," Traylor said in his presentation.
Under the staff proposal, the rent program would pursue standard collection steps (30/60/90-day notices and a final 30-day pre-lien notice), legal review of candidates for lien recordation, an appeal process to a hearing officer, and presentation of a final recommended lien list to the rent board. If the board approves the final list, staff would forward it to the city manager and finance director for inclusion in the city's annual lien submittal; the city council would then consider and — if it confirms the liens — the county recorder would record them and they would appear as special assessments on property tax rolls. The transcript referenced Richmond Municipal Code sections 7.04.410–7.04.68 as the current city lien framework staff would mirror.
Staff told the board the lien ordinance would include notice and appeal rights, interest and administrative cost recovery, coordination with the county recorder, and confidentiality protections so liens attach only to owner interests and not to tenants. The staff presentation listed an implementation roadmap of five steps: approve a policy framework, city legal review, city council consideration, operational preparation (forms, workflows, training), and implementation with annual reporting to the board.
There were no public speakers on the item. Board Member Willis moved the recommended action and Vice Chair Cantor seconded. The board voted yes (Hite, Willis, Vice Chair Cantor, Chair Tipton), with Board Member Espinosa absent.
Votes at a glance: The board approved the staff recommendation to direct staff to collaborate with the city attorney and draft a rent-board lien ordinance (motion moved by Board Member Willis; seconded by Vice Chair Cantor). The consent calendar was also approved earlier in the meeting (see below).
