Riverdale City Brings Out Big Guns To Oust Rentals

More from the suburban front on rentals. Riverdale City, flush with tax revenue, is putting its money to work in its effort to eliminate undesirable rental units. I don't usually quote the paper directly but this article is concise enough that I will quote it in it's entirety:

The Redevelopment Agency Board approved up to $15,000 in incentives for owners of multifamily homes to convert them to single-family dwellings.

A zero percent $10,000 loan is now available to owners of multi-family homes to use for removing second entrances or opening up areas to make the home a singlefamily dwelling. The loans will not be due until the sale of the home and a building inspector will make sure renovations are done.

RDA Executive Director Larry Hansen wants to offer the program to everyone regardless of whether they have registered their rental with the city and are paying separate utilities. Hansen said there will be no income guidelines or credit ratings for the loans. He said homes in multi-family zones are of lesser caliber than those in single-family zones and hopes to improve the long-term quality of housing in the city with this program.

A $5,000 loan is also available to those who purchase a multi-family home with the intent to use it as a singlefamily dwelling. The loan will be forgiven if the owner lives in the home for 10 years or more, 50 percent will be due if the owner lives in the home 5 to 10 years and 100 percent due if the owner is there less than five years. Those receiving purchase assistance can also apply for the renovation loan.

“This is a positive way to mitigate issues,” RDA Chairman Bruce Burrows said, “This is a tremendous way to move forward to solve a problem we all recognize.”

Its very apparent from all this news from Riverdale and Clearfield that they want to keep a short leash on landlords. These cities are applying an ounce of prevention to thier laws to mitigate the effects of high non-owner occupancy percentages. Ogden City is applying a pound of cure to undo the effects of rediculous zoning laws from two generations ago.

ADDENDUM

Here are the links to criteria and information on Riverdale's RDA money:

1. Property Consolidation Funds
2. Buyer Assistance Programs