Rental Houses Inventory, Website and Homeowners’ Association

On February 20, 2016, about 30 members of the Fort Richmond and University Heights residents’ sub-committees met with four City of Winnipeg By-Law representatives. It was an extremely informative meeting which provided residents with a better understanding of how by-laws work, how investigations are conducted, and the enforcement process.
We were informed that City By-Law Enforcement Officers would work closely with a residents’ association to help solve Neighbourhood issues – similar to how they are supporting the North Point Douglas Association, the Centennial Residents Association, and others.
At the meeting, residents agreed to work towards two important next steps:
1. DEVELOP A WEBSITE
A website will be developed to host resources for residents, tenants and landlords, which could include:
- “Top Ten” list of the by-laws that are broken most frequently
- Information regarding specific by-laws which could be printed and left in the mail box of a home, in order to help the tenant/landlord understand the regulation and the infraction that is occurring. This would include corrective measures if a by-law is not being adhered to (ie: evictions, fines, court costs, etc.)
- Information on how to properly report a by-law infraction to 311, so as to provide an accurate AND complete description of the infraction, which would trigger appropriate action by a by-law officer.
- Information on a proposed Homeowners’ Association, which would help the tenant/landlord understand that area homeowners are concerned about their neighbourhood and are taking action.
- Information similar to what the Stonybrook Concerned Homeowners Association in New York posts: SEE HERE
2. INVENTORY of RENTAL HOUSES – STREET CAPTAINS REQUIRED!
- Similar to the Neighbourhood Watch or Block Parent program, residents want to create a street-by-street inventory of assumed rental properties in the University Heights and Fort Richmond communities with the goal of improving by law enforcement.
- While the rental housing issue is also prevalent in other neighbourhoods, this would be a good first step that could serve as a pilot project for other areas.
- The inventory will provide information as to the number of assumed rental properties.
We need one or two street captains per street! If you are interested in volunteering to complete an inventory of your street, CONTACT US. Send me your contact information, and I will provide you the necessary guidelines and a ‘check list’. A key step in performing this task will be taking note of basement window sizes, # of parking spots/electrical plug-ins, and the condition of yard maintenance. It will also be important to respect private property and not trespass.
Twitter link: https://janicelukes.ca/?p=5301