The Portage Township trustee’s office in South Bend is the latest local government aiming to make sure rental housing is safe and habitable.
Portage Township Trustee Jason Critchlow says when people come asking for help paying their rent, it’s usually at the suggestion of their landlord. So the township is starting an inspection program that requires landlords to meet basic standards before it will help pay the rent.
"What we're finding is a lot of substandard conditions within this housing," Critchlow says. "It's certainly a huge need that we're seeing out here and we feel like this is not going to be the magic bullet that solves all of the housing problems here in South Bend but I think it's definitely going to be a step in the right direction."
Critchlow says he’s added staff to do the inspections, and they’ll be cross-trained to do other things. Landlords that refuse to make repairs noted in inspections will be referred to the city’s Code Enforcement.
Most of the township encompasses the city, and the city already has a rental inspection program, but Critchlow says its complaint-based nature leaves tenants afraid they’ll be evicted if they complain. And he says the new township inspections, piloted this month already, have had a fast turnaround.
"The city is not able to respond that quickly. Their program is not set up for that."
