The Kingston Common Council has considering a new policy which would create further governmental intrusion into the lives of citizens.
The proposal is to mandate an inspection each and every time a landlord rents to a new tenant. There is also consideration of a fee for each inspection, though that is not in the current legislation. There is no word if this mandate applies to the Kingston Housing Authority properties.
My first objection would be to a new fee. Landlords will just pass this along to the tenants resulting in higher rents. The people feeling this impact would be people of limited means trying to obtain good housing.
My second and stronger objection goes toward the ever increasing power and influence of government in our lives.
I understand that slum lords are a real problem in Kingston. This proposal, however, goes too far. Government should only become involved in the Landlord-Tenant relationship when formal complaints are made either by the landlord or the tenant, or by a citizen complaining of the property conditions.
More and more I am growing concerned at the rise of the power and influence of government. Europe was always a government dominated society. The United States was created as something entirely different. Our governments (federal, state, and local) were created as limited bodies with the real power resting in the American people. Sadly, we are trending toward a European model with limited freedom and greater governmental domination and control.
I urge our new Mayor to veto this legislation. Slum lords are a problem, but this idea is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
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6 comments:
Shayne wrote this Resolution so he will not veto it. Another Law to be placed on the books and who is going to enforce it. There will be more vacant parcels around the City if this is passed. Already have a Law on the books to do inspections every 2 years that is very selective when it is done. Building dept can't handle what they have now, so must be going to hire more Employees.
Shaynes first dumb idea (more to come). We cannot even enforce the laws we have now. Where is the money and manpower going to come from to enforce it, not to mention the legality of it.
The people who pass all these restrictive and expensive laws, rules and regulations are for the most part career civil servants who have never had to survive in the private sector.
This will penalize the honest and law abiding landlords but do little to landlords those who already disregard their obligations to provide liveable housing.
5:46,
The article does not mention whether Mayor Gallo is in favor or opposed to this proposal. I personally do not know his position on it.
As of now, this is a proposal before the Common Council.
There are numerous laws which prevent the government from intruding, particularly in one and two family dwellings. First and foremost the fourth amendment. But there are state laws as well. I wish Shane the best, but this is a bad idea.
Building department can't handle what they have now on thier plate. On West O'Reilly Street there is a house where a porched collapsed last year and it still lays exactly where it fell despite neighboorhood complaints and "investigation" by the alderman. So if this has been laying around for that long, what makes anyone think they can handle all the new inspections this law would require?
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