City Councilmember Yolanda McCoy prepared two tenant protection ordinances in October. Both passed in Council, including one that would have allowed tenants to hold funds in escrow with the city if their landlord didn’t address maintenance issues.
But Mayor John Carney vetoed that bill, claiming its price tag was too high and the program put the city at risk of a lawsuit.
McCoy worked with Carney’s administration to put together a new bill. It’ll be McCoy’s third attempt to establish this kind of program.
“I do feel a little bit more optimistic that this will go through,” McCoy said. “As I said before, you know, my colleagues really want to make certain that we have a tool for our residents.”
The new bill focuses specifically on properties without heat and water. City code already requires landlords to keep their properties habitable by having heat, hot water and electricity.
If this ordinance passes, it will act as another protection on existing tenant rights codes.
“So when it comes to legal risk, if a landlord [feels] that they have been subject to this thing unjustly, then I guess it would be up to them on whether or not they feel like they have a leg to stand on legally,” McCoy said. “But we've tried to make certain that this is really less to do with the landlord, but more to do with the tenant, the residents within the city of Wilmington.”
McCoy’s latest bill includes options for the city or a nonprofit to facilitate the escrow program. If the city handles it, the program is estimated to cost about $200 thousand; if a nonprofit runs it, the program will cost about $100 thousand.
McCoy will bring the new ordinance to Council Dec. 4.
