Proposed Plan to Protect Tenants from ‘Bad Actors’
(photo courtesy: Pixabay/Marc David)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA plan to give Indianapolis and Marion County tenants legal protection in disputes with landlords may get introduced to the City-County Council later this month.
Mayor Joe Hogsett, Indiana Legal Services, and the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana say the proposed initiative would provide tenants in poor housing conditions with legal help.
Under the proposed plan, $250,000 in new funding will be allocated to increase resources for tenants dealing with housing challenges including substandard conditions, eviction, and retaliatory actions by what Hogsett calls “bad-actor” landlords.
“To be clear: the villains here are not the many responsible landlords and property owners throughout our city, but rather those few who are failing to hold up their end of the bargain,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Every renter has the right to safe and secure housing.”
The initiative would require all landlords to provide tenants a “Notice of Tenant Rights and Responsibilities” in order to ensure renters are better informed of the laws that affect tenants and landlords.
It would establish a tenant hotline, serving as a point of contact for tenants seeking information or advice.
The plan also calls for the creation of a “Tenant Legal Assistance Project,” which would connect tenants with pro bono legal representation for claims against landlords who have violated tenants’ rights.
The city says the proposed plan is expected to be submitted later this month to the city-county council.
If passed, the tenant hotline and legal assistance project would be launched this spring.