Merced City Council approves rental inspection ordinance. Here’s what to know
Housing advocates packed a Merced City Council meeting Monday night, pushing for stronger tenant protections as the council unanimously adopted an ordinance establishing inspection procedures for multi-unit buildings. A separate draft “anti-slumlord” ordinance targeting repeat housing code violators won’t go to a vote until May.
Here are key takeaways:
• The inspection ordinance brings Merced into compliance with state law AB 548, which requires cities to outline the process for inspecting multi-unit buildings. City Attorney Craig Cornwell said the ordinance doesn’t change how inspections work but creates documentation requirements when specific issues are found.
• Housing advocates and councilmembers criticized the ordinance for lacking defined timelines. Councilmembers Mike Harris and Fue Xiong said they want reasonable timeframes added to the language in the future.
• The draft “anti-slumlord” ordinance would create a Repeat Housing Code Violators Program. Landlords with three or more unresolved habitability issues — including mold, asbestos, malfunctioning locks, lack of hot or running water — within 12 months would land on a public list.
• The proposed ordinance would require property owners to pay relocation expenses for tenants who must move due to unresolved habitability issues: two months of fair market rent, utility deposits determined by the city, and any security deposit held by the owner.
• Advocates want the city to pay relocation costs and seek reimbursement from landlords, rather than relying on negligent landlords to pay tenants directly. They also pushed for an eviction prevention program and a fee schedule attached to the ordinance.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full stories linked above were reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
