Boards consider tougher enforcement on vacant restricted rentals and small owner admin fee

Staff presented options to enforce the existing 60-day vacancy limit for restricted rental homes. Under current practice, a unit vacant for 60 consecutive days triggers notice and potential legal action if unfilled. Proposed enforcement measures include staged rent reductions (e.g., 20% then an additional 10%) and a weekly vacancy fine; the housing authority recommended the combined approach.

Councilor Beeman and others questioned the proposed $100-per-week fine (option 2) as potentially too light and suggested tying penalties to a percentage of the listed rent. Staff said they would return with project-specific data on vacancy occurrences, typical reasons for vacancy and a legal review of enforcement mechanisms. Board members also asked for a review of turnover rates and examples where the rule has been applied.

Separately, staff asked whether owners of newly restricted units should pay an administrative fee to the housing department; the housing authority recommended a $50 fee for future units. Several board members suggested raising that fee or indexing it to other trust fees and asked staff to compare practices with the Housing Trust and other local programs. The boards did not finalize rule changes at the meeting and asked staff to return with recommended fee amounts, legal analysis and vacancy data.