Title
Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title Ten - Building, by adding a new Chapter, Chapter 1005: Federally Subsidized Multifamily Rental Properties.
Body
WHEREAS, all Pittsburgh residents deserve affordable, clean, decent and safe rental housing; and,
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) spends billions of dollars, annually, subsidizing rental units in order that low-income, very low-income and extremely low-income families have a place to call home; and,
WHEREAS, HUD created the Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) in 1998 to provide for a uniform system of physical inspections and financial assessments of subsidized multifamily housing and the Departmental Enforcement Center to ensure compliance; and,
WHEREAS, all HUD-subsidized multifamily properties are inspected on a schedule based upon their most recent REAC scores on a scale of 0-100, with properties scoring 90 and above re-inspected once every three years, properties scoring between 80 and 89 once every two years and properties scoring 79 and below annually; and,
WHEREAS, When a property scores below a 60, the property has failed its inspection and as per HUD policy, federal regulations and federal law, corrective steps must be taken, including but not limited to, suspension or termination of the federal subsidy; and,
WHEREAS, the Bethesda-Homewood Properties, located in Homewood, Garfield and Larimer, failed its inspection in 2013 with a score of 52, failed its inspection in 2014 with a score of 35 and failed its most recent inspection with a score of 9; and
WHEREAS, had the City been aware of the deteriorating conditions that led to these failing scores the City would have been able to step in on behalf of the residents before it became a crisis; and
WHEREAS, the residents of low-income housing in the City deserve every protection the City can provide for them; and
WHEREAS, Council desires, on a consistent, ongoing basis, information on the physical and financial condition of federally-subsidized multifamily housing in the City of Pittsburgh.
Be it therefore resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby enact as follows:
Section 1. The Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title Ten, is hereby supplemented as follows:
1005. - Federally Subsidized Multifamily Properties.
The Director of the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh shall request that the local Field Office Director of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, no less than semi-annually, obtain updated Real Estate Assessment Center (“REAC”) or Uniform Physical Conditions Standards ("UPCS") Inspection Scores on all HUD subsidized Multifamily Properties and submit them to the Mayor, Council, and the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections, a report on any properties with a REAC or UPCS score lower than 70.
The Director of the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections shall also request that the local Field Office Director of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development establish a process in coordination with the Office of the Mayor to provide notice to the Mayor, Council, and the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections, any time a property receives a REAC or UPCS score lower than 70.