Williamsburg edited its proposal for a voluntary rental and certification program after hearing from students, landlords and other residents.
Despite Williamsburg’s effort to vet off-campus housing, the majority of respondents during public input meetings and surveys were pessimistic that the program would work as planned.
Landlords felt the program had too many penalties for them and not enough consequences for tenant misconduct; they also said it was too costly and didn’t include enough incentives to participate.
People who were more concerned about issues other than quality, such as housing affordability and the time it takes for landlords to respond to maintenance requests, didn’t see the program as beneficial. Some also said the program’s voluntary nature was a negative.
City Council was scheduled to review the changes on Monday, but the meeting was canceled because of snow. The discussion is rescheduled for January 5.
The proposed Rent Ready program has been on Williamsburg’s priority list since 2021, one of several ideas to create a balance between student-focused rentals and owner-occupied homes around William & Mary.
The proposal still is an opt-in program where landlords choose to have their rentals inspected and graded based on how well-maintained the property is and the type of amenities offered. Landlords have to make sure leases align with the program's 11 best practices. Landlords and tenants will have to attend classes to learn about their rights and responsibilities.
The revisions are based on what staff heard at three public meetings and responses to an online survey. One suggested change is allowing exceptions to the city’s three-tenant cap if landlords maintain a quality score in the highest tier for one year; it also allows the 37 homes that already have exceptions to keep their status if they are graded highly. William & Mary student government leaders wanted the change; the previous draft set the wait time at four years.
Currently, city code allows three unrelated people to live in a single-family home, or up to four if their property meets certain space, parking and other guidelines and get the city’s approval. The update also removes the square footage requirement for the exception.
The edits also reword “off-street parking” to say “specified areas where parking is allowed.” Other changes include requiring no visible evidence of mold during inspections and disclosures about known disturbed asbestos in the building.
It requires that there was no discovery of lead-based paint within three months of move-in and gives landlords exceptions to skip the program academy if they’re in a continuing education course.
Staff clarified that landlords must provide an exterminator’s report showing either no infestation or that an infestation was treated within a month of a program application. Founded complaints about maintenance can also result in quality score reductions after a first warning.
Read the full presentation slides here.
