Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Rental Woes
Posted By Babs De Lay on April 18, 2018, 11:00 AM
It's hard to find a place to rent these days. St. George has practically run out of rentals, and despite all the high-rises going up in Salt Lake City, we, too, have a huge housing shortage. According to the Utah Apartment Association website, they have more than 3,500 members representing more than 75,000 apartments throughout the state. You'd probably be a member if you're an apartment owner, manager, developer or builder because they offer some terrific benefits.
The nonprofit group was founded in 1934 as the Apartment Association of Utah. The National Apartment Association is only 75 years old, which, to me, indicates Utah was ahead of the pack in helping assist owners and managers. But why would a renter care about this group? Well:
•Their website (uaagq.org) connects to rentals.com, forrent.com, utahrealestate.com and rentler.com.
•It has help lines and phone numbers for tenants having problems with landlords, including Salt Lake Community Action, 2-1-1 information, Disability Law Center and Utah State Courts.
•It directs veterans to specific housing resources.
•And it provides free forms for tenants to give landlords notice they are moving out, give notice of a deficient condition, reasonable accommodation request due to health issues, and request the landlord to provide deposit deposition.
For owners currently renting out property or wanting to become a landlord, Utah Apartment Association offers a live Good Landlord class. If landlords agree to evict problem tenants immediately, keep their properties "clean and green" and in compliance with local housing codes, they can possibly get a discount on licensing fees. Salt Lake City, for example, discounts participants' business license fees from $342 per unit to $322 per unit. This incentive is intended to educate landlords on management strategies to prevent crime, maintain equity and promote compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods.
As South Salt Lake says on its website: "The city has found that landlords who follow best management practices on background checks, tenant leases, crime prevention and eviction procedures as necessary, reduce the service costs borne by South Salt Lake taxpayers."
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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