Marcus Tiggs said last week at a City Council candidates forum that rent control creates an artificial market.
Yesterday afternoon in the midst of a World War II-era fundraiser at the Culver Hotel, the bankruptcy lawyer elaborated on his statement, suggesting that it potentially erases the owner’s motivation for upkeep.
“The monthly rental rates are not driven what the market has,” Mr. Tiggs said.
“With rent control, the rents are kept at a certain rate. In the marketplace, the number could be higher.
“What we often have, then, is no incentive for the property owner to do major repairs, maintenance or upkeep.”
Mr. Tiggs believes rent control “could be a deterrent for new investors who want to buy income property.”
What about protecting tenants who feel vulnerable – a major issue since 45 percent of Culver City residents are renters?
The problem is, said Mr. Tiggs, “our Landlord Tenant Mediation Board has no teeth.
“It would be much better if that had a mandate above and beyond focusing on rents.
“I am talking about maintenance disputes, nuisance issues, upkeep of the unit.”
Basing his views, in part, on recent experiences walking the neighborhoods of Culver, City for his Council campaign, Mr. Tiggs said tenants are telling him, ‘We get it that there is no rent control. We love our landlord. But he doesn’t do anything. I have had a leak for six months. I can’t go to the Landlord Mediation Board because it doesn’t relate to rent. What can I do?’”
The first focus, Mr. Tiggs said again, should be broadening the mandate of the Landlord Tenant Mediation Board.
“After that,” he said, “we can assess what is going on.”
Dear Editor,
I have been a member of the CCLTMB for 8 years. The mandate for the board is specified in our bylaws which were originated and authorized by the city council. There is a very good reason why we are limited to mediating rental disputes only. If a tenant is experiencing a problem with maintenance, repair requests and/or upkeep it needs to be reported to our Building and Safety department. If it is a habitability issue it needs to be handed by the county Board of Health as well.
There are mechanisms in place to address these kinds of problems. They do not need to be “mediated” they need to be addressed in a timely fashion per building and safety or health codes and fixed.
Sincerely,
Judy Scott
Well Judy clearly the current approach/reason you are stating is not working given the level of renters concerns.
So Bill, are you suggesting that when a tenant has a leaky faucet or plugged toilet that a mgr/owner refuses to address, when a tenant has a rodent or cockroach infestation that a mgr/owner refuses to address, when a tenant abides in a unit with a broken window, staircase, bannister, or floor board or other safety issue that a mgr/owner refuses to address, when tenant reports to the owner a problem with open sewage on the property, absence of usable refuse containers, overgrown vegetation and any one of a myriad of other habitation problems, which an irresponsible owner refuses to address, the most efficient and efficacious solution is to file a request for mediation? Interesting, really – interesting.