Towards a Rental Licensing Program
access our full presentation here
introduction
Providence currently has a reactive housing code enforcement model. This means rental properties do not have to pass an inspection when they are initially rented. Instead, the onus falls on tenants to report dangerous or illegal building conditions. But reporting code violations can make tenants vulnerable to retaliatory evictions or eviction due to foreclosure. With 1/2 of the renters in the city paying more than 30% of their income on housing (making them "housing cost-burdened"), and 43% of renters living in housing built before 1980, many tenants throughout the city find themselves in the precarious position of paying more than they can afford on substandard housing.
research questions
- are there documented cases of retaliatory evictions or correlations between code violations and eviction?
- what alternative models of housing code enforcement have been effective elsewhere? what might work here?
findings
- In 2018, there were 2,121 units with documented code violations in Providence.
- Between 2016 and 2018, there were 252 evictions filed in properties that also had code violations. In 50% of these cases, the eviction was filed within 5 days of the violation.
- Check out our presentation for a look at our proposal for a rental licensing program.
recording of public presentation of research at 134 Collaborative in Providence on February 18, 2020
researchers
Rocket Drew
Tova Ibbotson
Tanay Nunna
Kristina Shum
community partners
DARE: Direct Action for Rights and Equality
RI Center for Justice