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Wilmington Housing and Neighborhoods Policy TrackerLAST UPDATED: 3/29/2022

NOTE:
A yellow box in the "Current Status" column indicates an upcoming hearing or deadline.
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AGENDA ITEMCATEGORYPROPOSAL TYPEDESCRIPTIONSIGNIFICANCE CURRENT STATUSLINK
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Phase I: Get Immediate Traction
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GET ALL RENTAL PROPERTIES LICENSED
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Create Civil Penalties for Landlords that Don't Get a Business LicenseMAKING RENTAL HOUSING SAFE, HEALTHY AND STABLEORDINANCECreate a civil penalty for not getting a business license for a rental property ($1,000), in addition to any other penalties.Introducedhttps://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/0021-Ordinance-to-Provide-Civil-Fines-for-Owners-of-Rentals-who-Fail-to-Secure-a-Business-License-to-Operate-Residential-Rental-W0113358x920B6-003.pdf
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Require an Inspection for a New Rental LicenseMAKING RENTAL HOUSING SAFE, HEALTHY AND STABLEORDINANCEWhenever the owner of a property applies the first time for their own license to rent the property (whether or not the unit was rented before), require an inspection based on a standard checklist, wtih the option to have it be filled out by a licensed housing inspector or an L&I inspector. This requirement for an inspection should apply whether or not the property was a rental property before the new owner applies for their own license to rent the unit. Requiring an inspection as a part of initial licensing would provide a baseline level of oversight for rental properties. Additional ways to reduce the demand on L&I's capacity include: providing an option to submit an inspection by another agency, such as WHA, to fulfill the inspection requirement.
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Require Beneficial Owner Information for Every Rental PropertyCREATING HIGH QUALITY RENTER-SHIP OPPORTUNITIESORDINANCERevise Rental Property Licensing code to require names and contact information of beneficial owners greater than 5% for any property owner that is a business entity, including LLC's. Address known issues of staff capacity and challenges represented by LLC’sCurrent Rental Property Registration form does not include space for this information, which is required by City Code.https://www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/0022-Ordinance-to-Amend-Ch-5-requiring-Detailed-Owner-Information-to-Operate-a-Residential-Rental-Property-W0113357x920B6.pdf
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Pursue Unlicensed Rental Properties MAKING RENTAL HOUSING SAFE, HEALTHY AND STABLEADVOCACY and INITIATIVESCreate a six-month amnesty period for unlicensed landlords to get rental licenses for their properties. Use city data systems to identify possible rental properties that are not licensed. Reach out to every possible unlicensed rental property in the city with information and deadlines for registration. After six months, aggressively enforce new $1000 civil penalty and other penalties already in the code for unlicensed landlords. (L&I Dept.)Less than 1/2 of all rental properties in the City of Wilmington are licensed, enabling many existing landlords to avoid fees and oversight. Unlicensed rental housing may be in the worst condition and most in need of oversight. In the City of Wilmington's FY2021 Budget, L&I indicated that getting more rental properties registered was a priority.2
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GET ALL VACANT PROPERTIES LICENSED
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Create Civil Penalties for Owners of Vacant Properties that Don't Register ThemBRINGING BACK VACANT PROPERTIES INTO USEORDINANCECreate a significant civil penalty (such as $1000) for owners that do not register a vacant property. Passed.
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Pursue Unlicensed Vacant PropertiesBRINGING BACK VACANT PROPERTIES INTO USEADVOCACY and INITIATIVESCreate a six-month amnesty period for unregistered vacant property owners to register their properties. Use city data systems to identify possible vacant properties that are not licensed. Reach out to every possible unlicensed vacant property owner in the city with information and deadlines for registration. After six months, aggressively enforce new civil penalties for unlicensed rental property owners. (L&I Dept.)Not started.
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Fine Owners of Problem Vacant Properties To Get Them to Meet Minimum Requirements: Clean, Secure, and WatertightBRINGING BACK VACANT PROPERTIES INTO USEADVOCACY and INITIATIVESUse existing civil penalties to motivate vacant property owners that do not keep their vacants clean, secure and water tight to bring their properties into compliance. Not started.
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PROMOTE TENANTS' RIGHTS
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Create a Housing Action ProgramCREATING HIGH QUALITY RENTER-SHIP OPPORTUNITIESORDINANCECreate a mediation program to enable landlords and tenants to arrive at an agreement that works for both parties, without having to go to Court. Require all landlords with tenants who have had difficulty paying rent due to a COVID-19 related hardship to participate. Link to DSHA's rental assistance program. Benefits of diversion and mediation include helping tenants avoid an eviction, while also helping landlords avoid vacancies and unit turnover costs.Not started.
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ELIMINATE UNFAIR FINES AND FEES
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Create a Moratorium on Water Bill Foreclosures for HomeownersSUPPORTING HOMEOWNERS AND HOMEOWNERSHIPORDINANCETemporarily stop city foreclosure actions for homeowners with delinquent water bills. Evaluate current and past water billing practices and the impact of past foreclosure practices. Use this information to develop and implement a system to ensure sustainable access to clean water for all.City of Wilmington has foreclosed on home-owners with delinquent water bills. Many residents report that recent changes to water billing have significantly increased what they are paying for water. Introduced.
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Moratorium/Repeal of policies, ordinances and laws that criminalize daily activities (e.g. sleeping in public, sleeping in vehicles, etc.)ENDING HOMELESSNESSORDINANCEDespite a lack of affordable housing and shelter space, many cities have chosen to threaten, arrest, and ticket homeless persons for performing life-sustaining activities – such as sleeping or sitting down - in outdoor public space.Because people experiencing homelessness are not on the street by choice but because they lack choices, criminal and civil punishment serves no constructive purpose. Pass an ordinance that prohibits the criminimzalition of performing life-sustaining activites. Criminalizing and/or fining homelessness wastes precious public resources on policies that do not work to reduce homelessness. Quite the opposite, arrests, unaffordable tickets, and displacement from public space for doing what any human being must do to survive can make homelessness more difficult to escape.Not started. https://nlchp.org/model-policy-discrimination/ https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnlchp.org%2F%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F10%2FHousing-Not-Handcuffs-Litigation-Manual.pdf
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SUPPORT HOUSING ACCESS FOR RETURNING RESIDENTS
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Expand and Provide Access to Adequate Housing for returning residentsENSURING ACCESSIBLE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR RETURNING RESIDENTSADVOCACY and INITIATIVESPeople who have been to prison just once experience homelessness at a rate nearly 7 times higher than the general public. But people who have been incarcerated more than once have rates 13 times higher than the general public. In other words, people who have been incarcerated multiple times are twice as likely to be homeless as those who are returning from their first prison term.Stable housing is the foundation of successful reentry from prison. Unfortunately, many formerly incarcerated people struggle to find stable places to live. Discrimination by public housing authorities and private property owners, combined with affordable housing shortages, continues to drive the exclusion of formerly incarcerated people from the housing market.Not started.https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/housing.html
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