Richland County considers ordinance to crack down on absentee landlords
A long-delayed proposal aimed at cracking down on landlords whose tenants violate Richland County codes is one step closer to becoming law.
Chronically overgrown grass. An eighteen wheeler parked on a residential street. A toilet left on a neighbor’s front lawn for over a month. These are just some examples of code violations that Richland County Council Member Chakisse Newton said provoked her to seek an absentee landlord ordinance in 2019.
“People weren’t following county ordinances and they were making neighborhoods look quite frankly run down but they didn’t care because they didn’t actually own the house,” she said. “Meanwhile, the person who owns the property may be living in Ohio and Florida and not even know.”
At a meeting on Thursday, the county council’s Development and Services Committee discussed a timeline for a proposal that would make three major changes to how the county enforces its code. They include:
Amending the county code to allow citation of all parties, including landlords, for code violations
Creating a database of rental properties whose landlords live off-site
Requiring absentee landlords to obtain a business license, enroll in an online registry, or contract with a licensed property management firm.
Though an initial version was presented to the Development and Services Committee in May 2020, that plan was scrapped for being “too expensive and too cumbersome, ‘‘ Newton said.
The original proposal was modeled closely off a rental housing ordinance the city of Columbia passed in 2016. That version called for the county to hire additional staff to inspect properties and enforce the ordinance.
“At the end of the day I just want people to mow the grass the way they’re supposed to, I want people to dispose of trash the way they’re supposed to,” Newton said. “There are ways we can utilize the resources we already have to do that instead of starting from scratch.”
Donald Wood, executive director of the South Carolina Apartment Association, said not enough information is available for him to comment specifically on the draft ordinance. He noted that his organization was generally not opposed to absentee landlord rules as long as they include an exception for landlords that hire professional property management companies to look after their rentals.
“We are opposed to any additional registration fees as our members already pay for a business license in order to operate in the county,” he said.
According to the agenda for Thursday’s Development and Services Committee meeting, county staff will have two work group meetings in February and March and present the final version of a plan to the committee by May. If the committee approves, the plan could go to the full council for a first and second reading by June and be signed into law by July.
“We all care about our communities, we care about our homes, and we want to see our neighborhoods reflect the love and the pride that we have,” Newton said.
