Modesto starts inspection program. How will it help low-income renters?
Modesto’s Rental Housing Safety Program is scheduled to start Friday with its first inspections to ensure tenants live in safe, habitable homes.
That includes housing that is free of pest infestations, sagging ceilings and rotting holes in the roof and that has plumbing and electrical in good working order.
Community and Economic Development Director Jessica Hill said that as of Tuesday, about 10 inspections have been scheduled.
The program takes the burden off low-income tenants who are afraid of complaining because of the fear of retaliation from landlords. The program calls for the city to annually inspect up to 10% of the rental housing stock randomly or based on data such as a history of complaints at a property.
“... We believe that everyone deserves access to safe and livable housing, and this initiative will ensure just that,” Mayor Sue Zwahlen said in a news release.
Modesto has about 40,000 units of rental housing, from apartments and condos to single-family homes and other types of housing, according to the city. The program exempts rental housing that is less than 10 years old or inspected through another government program.
Owners will need to register their rentals with the city. Property owners in good standing with the city can conduct their own annual inspections and certify their properties meet program requirement. The city has said it expects the majority of owners will do that.
The city notifies owners in advance before conducting an inspection, and the city charges $100 for an inspection. The program is designed to eventually be self-supporting. Owners are given a grace period to correct any problems. Those who don’t face fines.
Owners who pass inspections are exempt from another program inspection for two years, according to the program’s ordinance.
The city has set aside $411,000 in its 2023-24 budget, which started July 1, to launch the program. The money comes from the city’s Measure H sales tax that voters approved in November.
The city has hired the Pleasanton-based firm 4Leaf to conduct the inspections. Hill has said the city does not have enough building inspectors to handle their current workload as well as these inspections.
Friday will be the first day for inspections, but Hill said the city started a soft launch earlier this year by notifying 326 property owners to register for the program. She said 67 have complied and that represents 2,500 units of housing.
Hill said now that the program has officially started, the city will step up its effort to notify property owners and follow up with those who did not respond to the initial request.
The City Council approved the program in September 2019. A city spokesman has said the inspections never started because of staffing and budget cuts and the pandemic. The city created the program through working with property owners and tenant advocates.
Modesto created the program in response to a 2017 crisis at at a Ninth Street apartment building. The building was in deplorable condition, including mold, rats, rotting bathroom floors and faulty electrical, but provided affordable housing for people who did not have other options. The studio apartments rented for about $585 a month.
The city condemned the building after the owner failed to make repairs, forcing out tenants who scrambled to find new housing. Modesto, Stanislaus County and others tried to help tenants find housing. The building later caught fire after the city had boarded it up, and what was left eventually was razed.
More information about the program can be found at www.modestogov.com/2386/Rental-Housing-Safety-Program.
This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
