HomeMy WebLinkAboutRental Housing Advisory Commission Survey MEMORANDUM
To: Rental Housing Commission Date: January 16, 1991
From: Pierre Clavel Subject: Policy Issues
Stephanie Fried and I formed a "Policy Group" within the Commission last
May, and met with a series of people after that: Doug Dylla, Mark
Finkelstein of our Commission, Burlington VT neighborhood housing person
Brenda Torpy, Boston consultant Emily Achtenberg, John Efroymson, Mayor
Nichols. In these meetings and conversations we also reflected on the
content of our Commission discussions so far. Stephanie is now out of the
country anf off the Commission, we took no minutes , but let me share these
thoughts:
1. One comment we heard in Commission meetings throughout the year has been
the assertion that the softening rental market at the high end has
created more housing availability at the low end; yet others (e.g. the
Cornell housing professor who advised Bill Kandel on the Southside
Survey) noted that the Ithaca market is "segmented". What do we believe?
If the market is not segmented or only partly segmented, then do we want
to assume that there is essentially no problem for public action?
If the market is segmented , then in what segment or segments is there a
problem, or not a problem? Which segments have priority? What different
actions are required for which segments?
2. More than one person we spoke with described informal and formal
"linkage" arrangements channeling funds from private high-end
developments of various types, to city housing trust funds, in return
for city subsidy or permission to build . There is evidence that after
initial opposition, the "developer community" in these places supported
such moves. What has prevented Ithaca from pursuing this course?
3. Brenda Torpy and others have argued that without an organized renter
base, a city rental housing commission seems futile. Myra Malkin
suggested the usefulness -- to landlords and the city generally -- of an
organized renter presence. Do we believe these propositions to be true?
If so, should not most of our efforts go to stimulating such an
organized renter base?
4. Some have suggested that city housing policy be made jointly with county
policy: because the housing market is larger than the city; and because
there may be support for affordable rental housing initiatives from
outside the city, that can help those similar interests within the city.
Should we not be investigating this?
Rental Housing Commission Agenda *** 5/23/91***
Please note that we are not meeting on the second Thursday this month_
Second floor conference room, City Hall 5-7 P.M.
1 . Approval of John S' s minutes
2. Public comment
3. Correspondence to Commission
4 . Presentation by Amy Simrell , director of HOMES, regarding what can be
done to facilitate the building of affordable/ low income housing
5. Working group reports
-policy
timeline for resource index/evaluation of resources
-information gathering
provider' s network? ( That ' s what I have in my notes )
update on Collegetown survey
-project development
update on TC grant re: transitional & teen housing
public outreach: Tenant forum plan
6. Status of BZA zoning variance re: affordable housing
7. Public comment
8. Next meeting : Second Thursday of June
Agenda: Pat Poston?
Ithaca Rental Housing Commission 3/15/91
Working groups in ( )
Pierre Clavel
109 Cornell St. Ithaca, NY 14850
273-7617 w:255-6212
( policy)
Ed Dormady
638 Stewart Ave. Apt. A Ithaca, NY 14850
277-3566
( policy)
John Efroymson , chairperson
435 N Geneva St. Ithaca, NY 14850
272-1034 w:274-3242
( info & policy)
Mark Finkelstein
210 Lake St. #3G Ithaca, NY 14850
272-4000
(supply)
George Frantz
604 Cliff St. Ithaca, NY 14850
277-1305 w:273-1747
( policy)
Carol Mallison
137 Brooke St. Newfield , NY
277-1155 w:277-4500
(supply)
Terry Pasco
121 Prospect St. Ithaca, NY 14850
277-3299 w:273-4417
(supply)
John Schroeder
618 Stewart Ave. Apt. F Ithaca, NY 14850
273-5990
( information )
Pam Zinder
909 N. Cayuga St. Ithaca, NY 14850
273-5815 w:255-5373
( information )
SOUTHSIDE RENTAL HOUSING SURVEY
REPORT TO THE ITHACA RENTAL HOUSING COMMISSION
Purpose: To determine rental levels and vacancy rates in the
Southside , to aid later efforts to maintain and increase the amount
of affordable housing in Ithaca, and to serve as a pilot project
to determine the best way to obtain accurate annual statistics
about the state of Ithaca' s rental housing.
Geographic scope : Area bounded on the north by State Street ,
on the south by Titus Avenue , on the west by Meadow Street , on the
east by Albany Street . Not including the Reconstruction Home block
bounded by Center, Fayette , Albany and Clinton.
Survey Methodology: (1) The 1990 Tompkins County tax roll was
surveyed to collect , for each property within the survey area, the
property address , land use category, number of housing units ,
owner' s name , and owner' s mailing address .
(2) The files of the Ithaca Building Department were surveyed
for information about units and structures , particularly all part-
residential and multiple units .
(3) Surveys were prepared and mailed to 175 owners of
residential property, excluding only owner-occupants of
single-family structures .
(4) The Ithaca City Directory was surveyed to collect the
names and telephone numbers of tenants , particularly of properties
for which no landlord response had been received. Names designated
by the city directory (based on their survey) as being homeowners
were collected simply as "owner, " and not surveyed.
(5) The tenants identified in the city directory search were
contacted and surveyed by telephone.
(6) Units for which no information had been received were then
surveyed door-to-door. Efforts were made not to bother anyone who
had already been surveyed.
. Z
Findings : Preliminary research appeared to indicate that
approximately 280 rental housing units existed in the survey area.
For various reasons , this estimate was high by more than 25%. The
sources of this error were (a) discovery that many of the buildings
classified by the county as two-family were in fact occupied as
single-family dwellings , or at least not as rental units ; (b)
conversion of units , especially in part-residential buildings along
the northern fringes of the neighborhood, to non-residential uses ;
(c) the conversion of former rental dwellings to owner-occupied
dwellings ; (c) demolition of a number of buildings .
All told, we managed to collect at least some data on 155 of
the approximately 221 rental units in the survey area, or
approximately 70% of the total rental units . This is quite a bit
less than the complete census of the units which was hoped for, a
failure which can be traced to difficulty finding people home for
the door-to-door survey, and difficulty with many ambigiously one-
or-two unit dwellings .
Furthermore, the information on approximately one-third of the
155 units is incomplete . For detailed analysis of things like
changes in rent from a year ago, security deposits , inclusion of
heat in rent , and so on, only about two-thirds of them have full
information. Thus , some of the statistics in this report are based
on information obtained from something less than half the rental
housing units .
The average rent for units surveyed was about $437 per month;
about half of the units required additional payment for heat and
other utilities . Surprisingly, whether heat was included or not
seemed to make little difference in the rent charged, at each level
of unit size. Less surprisingly, residents of larger units were
more likely to pay separately for utilitis than residents of
smaller units .
About half the units were one-bedroom units , with two-bedroom
units making up much of the rest. More than half of the units were
located in two-unit structures .
Perhaps the most striking finding was the pattern of rent
increases over the past year. Smaller and cheaper units had
steeper rent increases than larger and more expensive units . For
example , the average increase for a one-bedroom unit was 9. 2%.
compared with 5 . 9% for two-bedroom units , 5 . 2% for three-bedroom
units , 4 . 9% for four-bedroom units , and 3. 6% for five or more
bedroom units . A similar pattern appears when the units are
stratified by cost .
The findings as to security deposits were also striking. Very
few Southside landlords charge security deposits greater than a
month' s rent . More than 55% use the traditional one-month' s rent ;
the rest charge less than that , or nothing.
The question on tenant satisfaction gives an extremely clear
• 3
answer: nearly 90% (50 of 56) of the Southside tenants surveyed say
they're "satisfied. " Many of them cited the apartment itself as
a reason for this , as well as proximity to downtown, positive
aspects of the neighborhood, and the responsiveness of the
landlord. The leading sources of dissatisfaction were the amount
of rent charged, and their building' s state of repair.
Comments about the survey process
1 . For future surveys , the Commission should be more
cognizant of the way rental units may be shared by relatively
autonomous unrelated individuals . A house or apartment regarded
as unitary by the owner and the city may be viewed as segmented by
its residents . Individual tenants (or perhaps sub-tenants) tend
to report the rent as being their individual share rather than the
total rent for the unit .
2 . Related to this is the fact that some owners "rent rooms"
within their own or other units . The rented room lacks separate
bathroom and kitchen facilities and hence is not considered a
housing unit by the city. This practice is not widespread in the
survey area - only a few landlords reported doing so -- but it is
probably more prevalent closer to Cornell . Renters of rooms ,
especially within a housing unit occupied by the owner, are
essentially impossible to contact for survey purposes .
3 . The response from landlords was excellent and accurate .
The response rate -- for a non-confidential mail survey -- can only
be described as phenomenal . Perhaps one reason for this high
degree of participation was the check-off on the survey form to get
a copy of the report . Almost all those responding checked the box.
Only in one case did a property owner check the box while refusing
to provide complete information.
4. Land use categories on the tax roll (indicating type of
use and number of residential units) should be interpreted with
caution. The Building Department also warned against taking this
information at face value.
5 . Tenants interviewed over the phone were much more likely
to know what their rent was a year ago than tenants interviewed at
the door. Probably this is because people listed in the city
directory, and still living in the same place, are more stable than
others .
•
"I
SOUTHSIDE RENTAL HOUSING SURVEY - STATISTICAL SUMMARY
Landlord survey:
Property owners mailed to 175
Surveys never returned 92
Surveys received thus far 83
Returned as undeliverable by post office 6
Mailed back to City Hall by recipient 77
Returned blank 2
Reporting that respondent no longer owns property 4
Reporting no rental units 0
Reporting one or more rental units 52
Number of units reported 77
Tenant Survey:
Responses from recent Planning Dept survey 24
IRHC tenant phone survey:
Listed in city directory with phone number 105
Unable to reach by phone 63
Reached by phone 42
Refused to give any information 4
Reported that they were homeowners 5
Participated in survey 33
IRHC tenant door-to-door survey:
Units for which door survey was attempted 93
Unable to reach at home 61
Unit apparently vacant 13
Unit apparently occupied 1
Unit vacancy status unknown 47
Reached at home 32
Refused to give any information 9
Reported that they were homeowners 0
Participated in survey 23
Extent of Information Gathering from Surveys :
Landlord Tenant Tenant Plan GRAND
Mail Phone Door Dept TOTAL
All surveys 76 33 23 9 141
Current monthly rent . . . . 72 33 23 8 136
Rent one year ago 71 26 9 0 106
Security deposit 72 28 19 0 119
Heat inclusion 74 32 23 8 137
Number of bedrooms 73 33 23 9 138
Tenant satisfaction 0 33 23 0 56
Tenant comments 0 27 23 0 50
s
Average Rent by Number of Bedrooms , Heat Inclusion, and Survey
(units for which bedrooms , rent , and heat inclusion known)
Number of Total Heat Included Heat Separate
Bedrooms Units ($Rent) Units ($Rent) Units ($Rent)
1 bedroom . . 60 ($361) 37 ($361) 23 ($361)
LL' s 11 ($389) 8 ($405) 3 ($347)
Tnt ' s . . . . 49 ($354) 29 ($348) 20 ($363)
2 bedroom . . 39 ($425) 17 ($439) 22 ($413)
LL' s 31 ($440) 15 ($460) 16 ($420)
Tnt ' s . . . . 8 ($366) 2 ($283) 6 ($394)
3 bedroom . . 26 ($511) 7 ($561) 19 ($493)
LL' s 22 ($535) 6 ($615) 16 ($506)
Tnt ' s . . . . 4 ($379) 1 ($239) 3 ($425)
4 bedroom . . 3 ($790) 1 ($920) 2 ($725)
LL' s 2 ($860) 1 ($920) 1 ($800)
Tnt ' s . . . . 1 ($650) 0 ($0) 1 ($650)
5+ bedroom . 4 ($964) 1 ($1645) . . . . 3 ($737)
LL' s 3 ($1102) . . . . 1 ($1645) . . . . 2 ($830)
Tnt ' s 1 ($550) 0 ($0) 1 ($550)
ALL UNITS . . 132 ($437) 63 ($433) 69 ($441)
LL' s 69 ($503) 31 ($529) 38 ($482)
Tnt ' s . . . . 63 ($365) 32 ($341) 31 ($390)
Average Rent by Type of Structure , Bedrooms and Survey
(units for which number of bedrooms and rent known)
Number of Total Single-Family Multiple-Family
Bedrooms Units ($Rent) Units ($Rent) Units ($Rent)
1 bedroom . . 61 ($361) 5 ($394) 56 ($358)
LL' s 11 ($389) 0 ($0) 11 ($389)
Tnt ' s . . . . 50 ($355) 5 ($394) 45 ($351 )
2 bedroom . . 39 ($425) 7 ($424) 32 ($425)
LL' s 31 ($440) 4 ($389) 27 ($447)
Tnt ' s . . . . 8 ($366) 3 ($471) 5 ($303)
3 bedroom . . 26 ($511) 10 ($497) 16 ($521)
LL' s 22 ($535) 8 ($517) 14 ($546)
Tnt ' s . . . . 4 ($379) 2 ($415) 2 ($342)
4 bedroom . . 3 ($790) 2 ($725) 1 ($920)
LL' s 2 ($860) 1 ($800) 1 ($920)
Tnt ' s . . . . 1 ($650) 1 ($650) 0 ($0)
5+ bedroom . 4 ($964) 3 ($737) 1 ($1645)
LL' s 3 ($1102) . . . . 2 ($830) 1 ($1645)
Tnt ' s . . . . 1 ($550) 1 ($550) 0 ($0)
ALL UNITS . . 133 ($437) 27 ($502) 106 ($420)
LL' s 69 ($503) 15 ($543) 54 ($492)
Tnt ' s . . . . 64 ($366) 12 ($451) 52 ($346)
Vacancy status by number of bedrooms :
(units for which vacancy status known - duplicates omitted)
Vacancy
Unit Type Units Occupied Vacant Rate
1 bedroom 56 55 1 . . . . 1 . 8%
2 bedroom 38 36 2 . . . . 5. 3%
3 bedroom 27 22 5 . . . . 18. 5%
4 bedroom 3 2 1 . . . . 33. 3%
5+ bedroom 4 4 0 . . . . 0. 0%
Unknown 27 15 12 . . . . 44. 4%
ALL UNITS 155 134 21 . . . . 13. 5%
Vacancy status by units in structure:
(units for which vacancy status known - duplicates omitted)
Vacancy
Structure Units Occupied Vacant Rate
1 units 33 29 4 . . . . 12 . 1%
2 units 83 69 14 . . . . 16 . 9%
3+ units 38 35 3 . . . . 7. 9%
ALL UNITS 155 134 21 . . . . 13 . 5%
Change in rent levels from last year by Number of Bedrooms
(units for which rent , year-ago rent , and bedrooms are known -
duplicates omitted)
Total Bedrooms in unit
Change Units One Two Three Four Five+
Decrease 3 . . . . 0 . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 0 . . . 0
No change 33 . . . . 14 . . . 11 . . . 6 . . . 0 . . . 2
Up 0 to 4. 9% 37 . . . . 16 . . . 11 . . . 8 . . . 1 . . . 1
Up 5 to 9. 9% 10 . . . . 2 . . . 5 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . 0
Up 10 to 14. 9% 6 . . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 2 . . . 0 . . . 1
Up 15 to 19. 9% 3 . . . . 1 . . . 1 . . . 1 . . . 0 . . . 0
Up 20% or more 11 . . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 2 . . . 0 . . . 0
ALL UNITS 103 . . . . 39 . . . 35 . . . 23 . . . 2 . . . 4
Average 6 . 9% . . 9. 2% . 5 . 9% . 5 . 2% . 4. 9% . 3 . 6%
7
Change in rent levels from last year by rent category
(units for which rent and year-ago rent known; duplicates omitted)
$Rent One Year Ago
Total 0- 200- 400- 600-
Change Units 199 399 599 799 800+
---- ---- ---- ----Decrease 3 . . . . 0 . . . 1 . . . 0 . . . 2 . . . 0
No change 33 . . . . 3 . . . 14 . . . 13 . . . 2 . . . 1
Up 0 to 4. 9% 37 . . . . 0 . . . 19 . . . 14 . . . 2 . . . 2
Up 5 to 9. 9% 10 . . . . 0 . . . 4 . . . 4 . . . 2 . . . 0
Up 10 to 14. 9% 6 . . . . 0 . . . 1 . . . 5 . . . 0 . . . 0
Up 15 to 19 . 9% 3 . . . . 0 . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 0 . . . 0
Up 20% or more 11 . . . . 1 . . . 10 . . . 0 . . . 0 . . . 0
ALL UNITS 103 . . . . 4 . . . 50 . . . 38 . . . 8 . . . 3
Average 6. 9% . . 13. 2% . 9 . 2% . 4 . 5% . 1 . 5% . 3 . 0%
Security Deposit :
Units for which rent and security deposit are known 119
No security deposit 13
Security deposit less than one month' s rent 31
Security deposit equal to one month' s rent 67
Security deposit more than one month' s rent 8
Tenant Satisfaction
Very satisfied 5
Satisfied 50
Dissatisfied 0
Very Dissatisfied 1
Reasons Given for Tenant Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction
(Note - many respondents gave multiple answers)
Happy Unhappy
With With
Apartment itself 30 0
Proximity to downtown 10 0
Neighborhood itself 8 2
Responsiveness of landlord 7 1
Quiet/noise in area 6 1
State of repair 1 5
Amount of rent 1 17
-- •
May 10, 1991
Dear RHO Members,
The following is a draft of the types of questions that will be asked
of various organizations ( listed later in this memo) along with a proposed
time line for the completion of tasks. Please be prepared to discuss the
following items at our May 23 meeting :
1 . the content of the survey, and suggestions for format
2. the time line
3. the organizations to be contacted
4. which organizations should have in person visits (see * notation )
Draft of Survey of Rental Housing Assistance Providers
Organization name, address, telephone, hours
Contact person :
What services/information do you provide to tenants and landlords?
Do you provide
information
direct service
referral
counseling
intervention
advocacy/lobbying
organizing
ect-wc-a-f-i"k‘
Can you provide a profile of the person who comes to you for
assistance?
If written materials are provided , may we have a copy of each for our
records.
How do you distribute this info?
Which are regularly updated? Can we get a copy of each update?
In Ithaca, what is missing in the area of landlord/tenant relations?
Who else should we contact?
Proposed Timeline
June 1 : Stage 1 : Mail surveys, begin formatting resource guide
June 8: Reminder calls to get in surveys
June 15: Stage 2: Follow-up calls and visits for additional survey
information
June 25: Stage 3: Begin compilation of rental housing resource guide
July 15: Stage 4: Summarize results
July 22: Stage 5: Recommendations
August 1 : Final report due
Throughout: research potential solutions, fiscal implications and potential
resources of funding .
-.
Who to contact
Assemblyman Marty Luster- 277-5444
Better Business Bureau (Syracuse) 1-800-328-2930
*Community Dispute Resolution Center- Judy Saul 273-9347
*Cornell Cooperative Extension- Mattie Umshied?-272-2292
Cornell Legal Aid 255-4196
Cornell Off-campus Housing- Pam Zinder 255-5373
Credit Counseling Service-( located at F&CS) 273-7494
Economic Opportunity Corp.-273-8816
Housing Solutions 272-2000
*Ithaca City Mayors office- Ben Nichols- 274-6501
*Ithaca City Attorney- Chuck Guttman 272-1713
Ithaca City Building Department Rick Eckstrom "
*Ithaca City Court -Marjorie Olds 274-6594
Ithaca City Clerk ' s office- Cookie Paolangeli 272-1713
*Ithaca Rental Housing Commission- John Efroymson 272-1034
Ithaca Housing Authority-Mary Louise Battisti 273-8629
*Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services- Carol Mallison 277-4500
Neighborhood Legal Services- Myra Malcolm 273-3666
NYS Attorney General ' s Office 1-773-7798
NYS Department of State
NYS Tenant and Neighborhood Coalition , Syracuse chapter (315) 425-1032
NYSEG 347-4131
NY Telephone
Suicide and Crisis Hotline 272-1616
T.C. Chamber of Commerce 273-7080
T.C. Human Rights Commission- Teddy Zimrot 274-5305
T.C. Information and Referral Service 272-9331
T.C. Health Dept. 273-7272
* in-person interviews for stage 2 of timeline
12 - 10 - yo
DRAFT VERSION OF COVER LETTER FOR SOUTHSIDE RENTAL HOUSING SURVEY
Over the past year, the City of Ithaca's Rental Housing Commission has
been researching possible methods for gathering reliable annual statistics
about Ithaca's rental housing market. As a part of this on-going research,
the commission last summer conducted a pilot program in information gathering.
Known as the Southside Rental Housing Survey, this pilot program was intended
to help the commission learn about rental-housing information gathering.
Thus, the Southside Rental Housing Survey should be judged primarily as an
instrument: i.e. , in terms of its successes and failures as a tool for
information gathering.
While we feel the resulting numerical data has some value, we also feel
this data should be used with considerable caution and qualification. First,
the Southside Rental Housing Survey was based neither on a scientifically-
selected random sample, nor on a complete census of every unit in the study area.
This raises questions about the validity of the results. Second, the South-
side Rental Housing Survey was conducted in only a portion of the overall
Southside neighborhood. It would be clearly invalid to extrapolate results
to the whole City of Ithaca, or even to the whole Southside.
Some other factors may also affect the accuracy of the data. For example,
no distinction was made between furnished and unfurnished units. There was
no attempt to discover whether or not government rent subsidies were included
in the stated rent figures. And the question about tenant satisfaction may
have been flawed by a lack of specific context (such as rent level, or location,
or maintenance, etc.).
Within all these limitations, however, we feel the numerical data has
some value in helping us understand housing issues in one small area of the
city.
Comments about the Southside Rental Housing Survey may be addressed to
the Rental Housing Commission, City Hall, 108 E. Green St. , Ithaca, N.Y. ,
14850.
/,•, (
R!°btE _= FEB 2 c� 130
CITY OF ITHACA
108 EAST GREEN STREET
MEMORANDUM
ITHACA. NEW YORK 14850
OFFICE OF TELEPHONE: 272-1713
CITY ATTORNEY CODE 607
TO: Mayor Benjamin Nichols
FROM: Pat Kennedy, Staff Attorney
DATE: February 26, 1990
SUBJECT: Issue toAreferred to the Rental Advisory Board (I think)
In several of the old files involving Building Code violations or zoning
violations I have found reference to an idea of requiring every rental dwelling
to post conspicuously in the lobby or on the front of the building a current
certificate of occupancy and a current certificate of compliance. The suggestion
is to couple the public notice of whether the building was in compliance on the
date of the last inspection (and when that inspection was--which will show up
on the certificate of compliance) with the notice of the number of people who
are permitted to occupy each of the units in the building in a place where the
tenants can see it.
The additional suggestion to accompany this requirement is that we include in
our City Code a provision that it will be a defense to any action for rent by
a landlord that the landlord lacked a certificate of compliance or that he was
permitting rental to an inappropriate number of people. Several of the memoranda
which I have found suggest that this procedure would greatly enhance our ability
to encourage voluntary compliance by landlords with Housing Code provisions
because they would have an economic incentive to comply. The tenant could
withhold rent if the building was not in compliance.
The posting of the occupancy notice and the ability of the tenant to withhold
rent for over-occupancy would give us a handle on the prosecution of zoning
violations like the one that's been going on at Gus Lambrou's building in Bryant
Park at 310 Elmwood. The tenants would, it is hoped, be more likely to contact
the City to inquire about or report over-occupancy.
If you think any of this sounds like an appropriate idea for referral to the
Rental Advisory Board, I'd be happy to draw up some possible language. If you
think the idea has no merit, I'll forget about the entire issue.
REPORT TO THE COMMISSION
To: The Ithaca Rental Housing Commission
From: Joan Bailey
Subject: Report on Summer Internship
The work that I have done for the Rental Housing Commission can be
divided into three parts, the initial survey that I sent to area
agencies, the follow-up interviews and research on rental housing
that I did and the rental housing/ shelter guide that I have
compiled. I have broken down my report to address the results of
each of these tasks and have also included a number of
recommendations, based upon my overall work.
The Survey
I was largely successful in getting the surveys returned to
me, although in a much longer time frame than initially
anticipated and with a fair amount of follow-up reminder calls.
Several agencies such as the City Attorney, The Chamber of
Commerce and the Better Business Bureau responded, even though my
questionaire was not applicable to the nature of their work. I
attribute the favorable response to the fact that the respondents
often were human service providers, who would have some
familiarity with surveys and a vested interest in the subject of
rental housing issues and its impact upon their clientele.
The surveys themselves, however, were seldom answered fully.
I believe the respondents may have felt that certain questions
were too broad and did not lend themselves to a definite answer.
Other questions may have been confusing. For example, under the
checklist of services provided, some respondents were not sure if
we meant their services or housing related services. Multiple
part questions also fared poorly, such as the one on receiving
updates of their information, reponses were at best, incomplete.
I did not feel that this survey warranted any detailed,
statistical analysis, since it was limited in size and scope.
Rather, I have tried to get a more general sense of the particular
issues or trends that the responses seem to reflect.
One, is the question of affordable housing. Many of the
respondents felt that this was clearly a problem in Ithaca. This
also seems to be a problem for the hard to house populations,
pregnant teens, homeless, single men, the disabled and the general
population as well. Specific problems about security deposits and
inability to pay rent were often cited.
In terms of referrals and other services, respondents often
noted that they could refer a caller to a particular agency but
were usually not sure if the outcome was positive. Also, there
seemes to be a number of agencies in the area which address the
needs of a a specialized clientele, i.e. people with disabilities,
in that respect, Ithaca seems to be particularly well served.
Yet, what appears to be missing, are more generalized rental
housing related services, either in the provision of housing
itself or the provision of problem solving or advocacy services.
Generalist services are effectively limited to Cornell Cooperative
Extension and Community Dispute Resolution, yet it is just this
type of service that is needed, especially in a community with a
high rental population.
Interviews
I felt that my interviews with a number of service providers
and others associated with renatl housing issues, was particularly
helpful in fleshing out some of the issues and problems related to
rental housing in Ithaca. I strongly suggest that any future
surveys or questionaires that the commission may assign to
interns, also incorporate some person to person contact,
especially if that intern is new to the community.
I got a strong sense of a number dedicated and competent officials
and providers in a community that was small enough to allow these
people often to work in close cooperation with each other.
However, I also got a sense that these people faced real
limitations in the services they could provide. Most of the
services were geared towards the specialized populations and very
low income. In terms of problem solving around rental housing
issues, there is no one advocacy agency. The other issue that
clearly emerged was that the field of landlord/tenant relations
was not a level playing ground. Renters are often easily
intimidated by threats from landlords or afraid to bring up issues
that they feel may jeopardize their housing situation, they may be
unaware of their legal status and rights, they may often be unable
to afford legal representation or simply not have enough
protection under current laws that adgequately serve their
interests.
More specifically, DSS routinely has problems with tenants
moving out of their apartments, with just a threat of eviction,
even before any legal proceeding has actually been instituted,
which complicates their efforts to resolve problems on behalf of
their clients.
The large influx of students into Ithaca each year
constitutes a largely uneducated rental population, with respect
to their rights and obligations. Foreign students in particular,
are suceptible to difficulties, given the barriers they face with
language and custom. The fact that many do not reside in the
immediate area is a real drawback if they face any problem in
recovering security deposits, the time and effort needed to return
to Ithaca is often prohibitive.
Although alternatives to court proceedings do exist, in the
form of Community Dispute Resolution Center, it should be noted
that CDRC only handles about 50% of the cases actually referred to
it The going rate for legal representation starts at
approximately $45 .00 an hour, which for people of modest means,
may be an expense they cannot afford. Lastly, the law may be
vague in some areas, such as a time period for the return of
security deposits, which can also have a negative impact upon
renters . I believe that from the information that I have
gathered, both through the surveys and interviews, that some
measures should be implemented which can create a more equitable
relationship between landlords and tenants.
Dear John
Here is a corrected listing of these various index (indices?)
have made some of the phone call that you requested but have
ended up with more questions:
Mobile Homes - Community Dispute does deal with this but only
after people have been referred from DHCR, so we need to include
them somehow. I could use asterisks or just put something in
parentheses, but maybe we should then add them as an agency
Office for Aging - I couldn't reach anyone there They do have
free legal advice, via an attorney but its not part of NLS, I did
include them under the service index but not elsewhere, pending a
more definitive answer as to what kinds of legal advice they
routinely give.
Ithaca College - The residential life office does provide a
computer listing of available housing but that is all. I did add
them in but they really don't provide any other information or
counseling.
Attorney General's office - there is no 800 number the Sec of
State does have one and used to handle these question but now
everything is with the A.G. Dept of Law. I still need to talk to
the Binghamton office.
Friendship Center - I talked to Terry He thought they should go
under emergency shelter for daytime. They do get money from HUD
that is how they're described somewhere. i thought maybe I
could also list them with a description of Information and
Referral in a community service listing.
Lawyer referral - the number you gave me is Info and Referral. Ed
answered the phone when I called. Their contract for the lawyer
referral runs out this fall. There is a listing of some
attorney's that do landlord/tenant, but I didn't think you would
want to include them. There is also an 800 number for the state
bar assoc lawyer referral. I could list something under legal
representation with an asterisk or something.
There is also a single page handout from Pierre. I will be away
for a week and a half and will try to work on my report while I'm
gone. I will do up the agency descriptions when I return as well
as try to finalize some of this indexing and other last bits of
information. Give the others a copy of this memo if you think it
will be helpful and ask them to try to have their indexing
suggestions in to me as soon as possible. Thanks and enjoy your
vacation.
Joan
/ 1
f �
Forword
ITHACA RENTAL HOUSING COMMISSION RENTAL GUIDE
PURPOSE
This guide has been drawn up at the request of the Ithaca
Rental Housing Commission as part of the Commission's ongoing
work in facilitating access to quality, affordable rental
housing. First formed in 1990, the Commission has been working
to educate both landlords and tenants as to their rights and
responsibilities. It conducts research into issues related to
affordable housing, provides public forums for community
residents to discuss issues related to rental housing and acts
in an advisory capacity to the Common Council of the City of
Ithaca.
Ithaca is fortunate in having a number of social service and
human service agencies and the community is small enough to allow
for many of these agencies to work in close contact with one
another. Much of the information in this guide has been provided
by these agencies and has been assembled to make it easy for both
providers and their clients to locate the service they are
seeking and the provider of that service. Since many of the
services provided in the City and County are interrelated,
several county agencies have been listed as well.
HOW TO USE
This guide contains a topic index, an agency index of the
primary agencies and a service index, which lists topics and
services and those agencies or materials which are related to
those services. There is also an appendix, which provides other
pertinent information for the rental community.
•
ATIMPIEBNIEIMEL T, i . _ cmr�.r a6-6 / de X
Primary providers of landlord/tenant or housing related
services and information services.
American Red Cross (emergency shelter)
Attorney General - NYS
Better Housing for Tompkins County
Community Dispute Resolution Center
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
Cornell Off-Campus Life
Cornell Legal Aid
Friendshirenter
Finger Lakes Independence Center
HOMES
HOST (Housing Options For Seniors Today)
Information and Referral for Tompkins County
Ithaca City Court
Ithaca City Building Department
Ithaca City Rental Housing Comission
Ithaca College Residential Life
Ithaca Housing Authority
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
Neighborhood Legal Services
NYSEG (New York State Gas and Electric)
Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Program
Tompkins County Department of Social Services
Tompkins County Health Department
Tompkins County Human Services
Tompkins County EOC Section 8 Housing
Womens Community Building
TOPIC INDEX
Assistance, public
Building codes
Consumer help
Court, Small Claims
Disabilities
Discrimination
Emergency shelter
Evictions
Health Department
Heat
Housing, low income rental
Human Rights
Immigrants and Refugees
Information - Community Services
Landlords, responsibilities
Landlord, rights
Leases
Legal Representation
Mediation
Mobile Homes
Pests
Pets
Privacy
Security deposit
Security, premises
Seniors
Students
Subletting
Tenants, responsibilities
Tenants, rights
Utilities
Violations, code
Warrant of Habitability
5e g v/cE.
T T P T_LT C T T D TE- -T 1- D E X
Assistance, public 1IJ
Ithaca Housing Authority
Tompkins County Department of Social Services
Tompkins County Economic Opportunity Corp
Building codes
Ithaca City Building Department
Consumer advice
Attorney General's Office
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Court, small claims
Ithaca City Court
(appendix)
Disabilities
Better Housing
Finger Lakes Independence Center
HOMES
Ithaca Housing Authority
Discrimination
Human Rights Commission
Fair Housing (appendix)
Emergency shelter
American Red Cross
Friendship Center (days)
TC Dept of Social Services
Womens Community Building
Evictions
Community Dispute Resolution
Cornell Legal Aid
Neighborhood Legal Services
Heat
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Homeless
(see emergency shelter)
(see information - community services)
Housing, low income rental
Better Housing
HOMES
Ithaca Housing Authority
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
Human rights
(see discrimination)
Immigrants and Refugees
Cornell Off-Campus Life
Refugee Association
Information -Community Services
Information and Referral
Landlords, responsibilites
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants rights (appendix)
Landlords, rights
Rent Smart (appendix)
Leases
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Legal Representation
Cornell Legal Aid
Neighborhood Legal Services
Mediation
Community Dispute Resolution Center
Mobile Homes
Community Dispute Resolution Center
Mobile Home Owners Rights (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Pests
Building Dept
Health Dept - Tompkins County
Pets
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Privacy
(see security; premises)
Security Deposit
Community Dispute Resolution
Rent Smart (appendix)
Small Claims Court
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Security, premises
Ithaca Building Dept
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Seniors
Better Housing
HOST
Ithaca Housing Authority
Office on Aging
Students
Cornell Off-Campus Life
Ithaca College Residence Life
(housing listing only)
Subletting
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Utilities
NYSEG
Violations, code
Ithaca Building Dept
Health Dept - Tompkins County
Warrant of Habitability
Rent Smart (appendix)
Tenants Rights (appendix)
Questions
How to alphabetize certain agencies, EOC NLS
What is public vs non-profit?
Get names of agency dealing with immigrants
What other categories?
How to list agencies not already listed for example Loaves Fishes
or friendship Center do we want them under homeless?
Does Corn Dispute actualy do mobile homes?
Can we get certificate from Bldg dept?
Do we want a brief description for each category, that is more
germane to Ithaca or would it be better in text of each agency?
How to do appendix do we want A, B, C, etc