'We should not have people in dilapidated structures': How Rochester plans to fix problem housing

Robert Bell, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·3 min read
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Housing stock in Rochester has issues. Some street with older homes have well-loved and maintained residences. Others deal with owner or landlord inattention and issues due to aging buildings.
Housing stock in Rochester has issues. Some street with older homes have well-loved and maintained residences. Others deal with owner or landlord inattention and issues due to aging buildings.
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Housing in need of repairs and maintenance is the focus of new efforts from the city of Rochester.

"We should not have people living in dilapidated structures," said Mayor Malik Evans at a Wednesday morning City Hall press conference. "Ask yourself, would you want to live there? That's the standard."

In June 2022, the city's Housing Quality Task Force released a report that found:

  • About 90% of Rochester's housing stock is older than 1978;

  • Aging housing and a decline in the city's population have led to an oversupply of units and lower home values;

  • "Substantial deferred maintenance" and the prevalence of older homes compound with the city's high poverty rates;

  • Rochester's high rate of poverty is one of the reasons why the city's homeownership rate is 36%;

  • New construction is less likely to be profitable in Rochester without subsidy.

READ THE FULL REPORT: https://cityofrochester.gov/hqtf/#full-report

The task force also recognized a need for more aggressive responses from the city to bring problem landlords in line.

"Meaningful enforcement against substandard housing conditions must have teeth," the report states.

Mayor Evans gives updates on the City's Housing Quality Task Force recommendations.
Mayor Evans gives updates on the City's Housing Quality Task Force recommendations.

With those findings came a series of recommendations, which Evans gave an update on at the news conference.

What is the city doing to ensure residents have better quality housing?

Here is a summary of updates provided by the city.

The city of Rochester NY says it has changed some code enforcement practices.

There are streamlined fines for landlords and has shorter abatement times for a person or entity served with an order to remedy city property.

Also, limited liability companies, known as LLCs, must disclose all members, managers and other authorized persons' names and businesses when submitting to the new Property Management Portal.

Evans noted during the news conference that the city has found it challenging to partner with contractors due to supply chain problems and a shortage of workers.

The city of Rochester, NY has created a Property Management Portal for landlords.

In May 2023, the city introduced new software to assist in managing code enforcement, trade licensing and permitting. The portal intends to help property managers control their portfolios and improve their relationship with the city.

Features include:

  • Designating and updating building owner and property manager contact information

  • Viewing lists of all open code violations per property

  • Submitting work schedules for open Code Enforcement cases

  • Applying for electrical, plumbing, and elevator technician licenses

Future updates will include:

  • Submitting permit applications for building, electrical, plumbing and sign permits;

  • Automated email notifications for inspections, cited violations, expiring Certificates of Occupancy, etc.;

  • Viewing the new property code compliance score;

  • Tax bill payments;

  • Water bill payments.

The city of Rochester, NY has introduced a searchable Property Management Code Compliance Score.

The city of Rochester gives Property Management Code Compliance scores, which are searchable at https://rochester-ny.tolemi.com/.
The city of Rochester gives Property Management Code Compliance scores, which are searchable at https://rochester-ny.tolemi.com/.

People who rent can now check property scores that take into account code compliance issues and other metrics. Scores are calculated based on the following four factors:

  • Open expired health and safety violations per unit (30/100 points)

  • Days since the oldest expired health and safety violation was cited (20/100 points)

  • Days since the Certificate of Occupancy expired (30/100 points)

  • Days since the structure was cited as vacant and blighted (20/100 points)

Properties are flagged for being in the grace period if any of the following are true:

  • The owner or manager acquired the property within the last 90 days.

  • The owner or manager has submitted a work schedule for the property, and Code Enforcement has approved it.

Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram: @byrobbell.

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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: How Rochester NY code enforcement has changed to make housing better