City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 17, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of a Resolution from the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board Regarding the Voluntary Rent Guidelines. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: City Council consideration of a Resolution from the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board regarding Voluntary Rent Guidelines.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the attached Resolution (Attachment 1) establishing the City's 2017 Voluntary Rent Guidelines for maximum rent increases at a percentage of not more than 5% where the tenant pays utilities and not more than 7% where the owner pays utilities, as recommended by the Landlord-Tenant Relations Board. This would maintain the percentages recommended by the current guidelines.
BACKGROUND: Virginia localities are prohibited from enacting rent control. However, for over 30 years, the City has encouraged landlords to limit rent increases in accordance with the City's Voluntary Rent Guidelines, which are suggested maximum rent increases for existing tenants. These voluntary guidelines provide no enforcement authority against landlords who fail to comply with them as, under Virginia law, the City has no authority to place mandatory limits on rent increases.
The Landlord-Tenant Relations Board reviews the Guidelines annually and makes recommendations to City Council regarding their adequacy, and Council is then asked to adopt a voluntary rent guidelines resolution. In preparing its recommendations, the Board considers rent data, market forecasts and vacancy surveys by Delta Associates, a national real estate consulting firm, as well as data prepared by the Office of Housing in its annual apartment survey. The Office of Housing survey covers all rental complexes in the City with ten or more units. Delta A...
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