Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, October 13, 1997, Page 7A, Image 7

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    New proposal may
change housing code
IJpassed, rental units
in the city would face
stricter requirements for
'habitable conditions’
By Teri Meeuwsen
Higher Education Heporter
When business and compara
tive literature major Paul Thomp
son moved into his house with
four other roommates last year, it
wasn’t up to the best of standards
for someone to live in.
“It was a disaster,” Thompson
said. “There were feces on the
floor, dog or human. It looked like
someone had broken into it before
we moved in. We didn’t have dou
ble-pane windows; there wasn’t
any weatherstripping. It was just a
mess.”
In November the Eugene City
Council will hear a new rental
housing code proposal that will
require landlords to register their
rental units under stricter habit
able conditions requirements than
those currently required. The con
dition that Thompson found his
home in would become a violation
of the housing code and a thing of
the past.
The proposed code, prepared
by the Departmental Advisory
Committee to the Planning and
Development Committees of Eu
gene, would follow the Oregon
Residential Landlord and Tenant
Act that is in effect now, but
would include and enforce a more
specific definition of “habitable
conditions.”
John Davidson, who works for
Legal Services at the University
and is part of the advisory commit
tee to the city, said the definition
used now requires landlords to
keep their rentals up to standards
that eliminate hazards or threats to
life. But the new definition would
include better weather protection,
heating facilities, and ventilation
systems and would require work
ing locks for individual rooms that
are rented, such as in quads.
Funding for the proposed code
would come from a one-time $12
per-unit fee at registration, a $12
per-month penalty for not being
registered under the new code, a
2.5 percent-per-annum fee on se
curity deposits and prepaid rent
deposits and the fines property
owners would pay for violations
of the code’s provisions.
Joy Poust, a broker for Spyglass
Associates, said she feels the pro
posed code wouldn’t be fair to
those involved.
“I feel we are already covered by
the state code, and with the short
age of money in the city and the
small percentage of those prob
lems, it wouldn’t be fair for land
lords to pay for the inspections,"
she said. “I think in the end, it
would reflect in the rent going up,
and nobody wants that.”
Davidson said these new re
quirements will help keep Eu
gene’s rentals in better condition
for current and future tenants.
‘Tve already written to 180
landlords this year,” he said. “It's
that time of year that we get com
plaints about habitability and
weather proofing.”
According to a draft of the pro
posed code, if a tenant files for an
inspection request after a formal
complaint is made to the city, the
rental housing would be inspect
ed for the new requirements with
the exception of the threat to life
and/or health. If those require
ments are not met, the landlords
would be assigned a time period
to meet them. If the problems are
not fixed in the proposed time, the
rentals will be subject to sched
uled annual inspections until the
units pass two consecutive in
spections, or until they are no
longer rental units.
For students who have ques
tions about their rights and re
sponsibilities, a renter’s handbook
in the Legal Aid Office of Eugene
is available for a donation of $1.
Students can visit Legal Services
in EMU Room 334.
LIVING WITH
DIABETES
Support & information for
individuals with Diabetes. Also
open to friends and family of
individual diabetics.
• Monday, October 13
• 6:00-7:00 p.m.
• Carson Hall (dorm)
Gold Room
For more details call the
Health Center Pharmacy 346-4454
HEALTH CENTER • 13TH & AGATE • 346-2770
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/UOSHC/
@ http://www.nwcities.com
Vivit us nffpnf
L
A one-stop 'virtual community'
with the most up-to-date
and complete Information
about the entire northwest
Bookmark nwcltles.com t i
go there to find restaurants
with fbod you can really sink
your teeth info, or whom to
call to fix your teeth
A great site for a home
or great sights along
the incredibly beautiful
coastline
Check out the weather
or the business climate
tor Business or ror run
The University of Oregon and
The Carlton Raymond and Wilberta Ripley Savage
Endowment in International Relations and Peace
present
lyra<?Iiy and Pateytiniany:
Darratiu^y of Identity and P<?ac<?
by Professor Rashid Khalidi
Department of History,
Director, Center for International Studies
University of Chicago
Professor Khalidi is the Carlton Savage Fellow in
International Relations and Peace for Fall term at the
University of Oregon. His public address and recent
book "Palestinian Identity" (Columbia University
Press, 1997) offer a context for better understanding
the historic and current conflicts in the Middle East.
Thursday, October 16th, 7:30 pm
Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon
Free and Open to the Public
For more information, call the
Center for Asian & Pacific Studies,
(541) 346-5087
If you agree with us:
That sleeping is not a crime
That everyone should have a legal place to
sleep without harassment or arrest
Come to our
VIGIL
Supporting The Campaign for Legal Places to Sleep
Today: Monday, October 13, 4:30 p.m.,
City Hail, 8th & Pearl
Sponsored by the Eugene / Springfield Homeless Action Coalition, 344-2363
and the Eugene Friends Meeting
OTHER CAMPAIGN EVENTS THIS MONTH
October 20, Monday: Vigil: Springfield City Hall, 225 5th St. 430 p.m.
October 21, Tuesday: Call-in to local government. Ask; what are you doing to provide
all-year legal places to sleep for places to sleep for homeless persons?
October 25, Saturday: Nonviolence Training (Just in case) Eugene Friends Meeting House,
2274 Onyx St„ 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If interested, phone ASAP
so we know how many to expect.
October 27, Monday: Vigil: Eugene City Hall, 4:30 to 6 p.m.