Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tenant Relief topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Orchard Court tenants tell Iowa City Council short eviction notices will leave many without relocation aid
Summary
Two Orchard Court tenants told the City Council they received short notice of lease terminations and warned many residents will be unable to afford moving costs; they urged the Council to consider targeted relocation assistance or other remedies.
During the consent calendar public-comment period, two residents affected by the Orchard Court occupant transition told the Council they had received limited notice that their leases would not be renewed and urged the city to consider offering financial help.
A tenant who identified herself only as Zoe said she and fellow residents had received recent termination notices that leave less than 30 days between notice and the required vacancy date, which may make them ineligible for a $500 relocation payment referenced in leases. "We are over in our lease ... if they give us termination of our lease in a date that is 30 days from the notice or less, then they will give us full security deposit and the $500. We are 48-ish days away ... so none of us are likely to receive any of that money," she said, describing how short timing and rent-market conditions make moving especially difficult.
Grant Mannering added that some tenants apparently never received earlier courier notices and that others may be surprised only when they receive the current notice, leaving little time to find affordable housing. He asked the Council to consider how any relocation funds would reach tenants who did not get prior notice.
Council did not take action at that time; the comments were made during the public-comment period for the consent calendar. Councilors asked the speakers to sign in for follow-up information.
