Time to drain some swamps: Aggressive ideas for nuisance properties
Chronic nuisance properties with fines the City sues the owner for can result in receivership actions by the City attorney if the owner does not comply by paying fines and abating code violations. Receivership of nuisance properties is on the agenda of the federal department of Housing and Urban Development noted in the proposed City of Milwaukee Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding allocation plan for 2009.
This is explained further in the CDBG consolidated strategy and plan for 2005-2009, which places "a high priority on Interdepartmental coordination including collaboration between the Dept. of Neighborhood Services, the Dept. of City Development, the City Attorney’s Office and the Milwaukee Police Department to reduce the negative impacts of nuisance/blighted properties through the Receivership Program."
In 1993 the Riverwest Organizing Project worked with the Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) and City Attorney to pursue enforcement of nuisance properties, and the landlord receivership law was used against some slumlords.
Holton Street and North Avenue west of Holton include a high number of nuisance properties, crime, calls for police service, vacant properties, absentee owners, City-owned properties, and properties in foreclosure or post-foreclosure bank ownership. Recent street improvements made by the City Department of Public Works (DPW) remain incomplete and were poorly done.
This strategic area, which links Riverwest, Harambee, Brewers Hill, and the Beerline with Brady Street, the Lower East Side and downtown areas has been left to languish for too long. Its current situation is an opportunity for redevelopment using TIFs and other incentives for responsible developers, business, and property owners.
Some of the chronic nuisance properties in this corridor where in some cases ownership may be unclear or reverting to banks or government entities may be cases where receivership actions might be merited.
Similarly, the north end of Harambee and Riverwest along Holton, the 3100-3400 blocks of Richards, Buffum, and Holton bookend their counterparts in the 2200-2300 blocks as the most holes where drug-dealers and their customers do their work of depreciating property and shooting each other at rates that always climb in the summers, some more so than others.
Clean up this area, and everything from King Drive east will get a boost. The idea of the DNS, DCD, and MPD working together along these lines makes a lot of sense or else there will be policing work in the slums forever, beyond the ability of the city and its residents to afford it.
It's time to drain these swamps.
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Great Write-up!
I commend you on your work. Having to deal with a similar situation in the Near Westside, I propose several ideas just for thought.
1. Properties should be red flagged after receiving three nuisance letters from the City within three years. Whomever purchases a red flag property must show a written business/operating plan highlighting security and rental procedures.
2.Property owners specifically landlords should be required to have license in order to rent 4 or more units related to one tax key. Licenses are only obtained by the owner of the property or registered agents. Without a licenses a property owner cannot rent out to more than 4 units.
3. A DNS inspection should be required prior to the sale of a property. If code violations are not brought up to code a property owner cannot rent the property.
4. Increase marketing to tenants on the rights and responsibilities of tenant/landlord relationship.
As you can see I focus heavily on the landlord's responsbility due to the fact that many of our landlords in the Near Westside have been problems for many years. You have your good, bad and ugly.
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I think you have some good policy ideas, but isn't it already the case that you have 90 days to abate all code violations after purchase of a building? Or are you saying the DNS should do an inspection for all sales and write up a fresh set of violations if necessary? That could strain resources, but it might be worth it. It is a lot more proactive and focused than running around writing up violations based on a million random complaints. The problem owners tend to ignore the violations and fines which don't by themselves have much preventative value.
What if the City did community call-ins for especially bad landlords? Certainly when their property is involved with criminals selected out for the community impact program or call-ins, the enabling landlords should be part of the process. Their participation can't be compelled by law the same way it can be with their tenants who have been arrested, but it can be strongly pressured.
On the fourth point, the UWM housing and neighborhoods offices are going the right way with their website and rental listings with landlord ratings. What should and probably will happen simply due to the way young people are using the web is that bad landlords will be exposed and blacklisted effectively enough for it to hurt their business. It would be best if this were done by a reputable third party, possibly UWM, to ensure fairness and play a moderating role.
Of course for any of this to happen, a specific policy has to be worked out with support from the common council.
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