POLICY 47

Housing Quality: Ensure the preservation and maintenance of existing housing.

Minneapolis’ housing stock is a city asset, not just a personal asset to the current owners. In most cases throughout the city, the current owners and inhabitants of housing are not the original owners, nor will they be the last. The housing stock is an asset that spans generations and provides shelter, stability and a place to generate wealth – a home to past, present and future generations of Minneapolitans.

Like any asset, Minneapolis’ housing stock needs to be stewarded and maintained to ensure its longevity and to allow for its ability to evolve so it can be a home to future generations. The safety and maintenance of Minneapolis’ housing is important to the success, health, and happiness of the residents of Minneapolis and to future Minneapolitans. However, it is important that alongside the City’s efforts to ensure the safety and maintenance of Minneapolis’ housing stock, it also makes every attempt to not displace current residents.

ACTION STEPS

The City will seek to accomplish the following action steps to ensure the preservation and maintenance of existing housing.

  1. Promote the long-term retention of housing through maintenance.
  2. Provide targeted outreach to homeowners about the home maintenance needs of older homes.
  3. Support rental property owners and tenants in maintaining safe, code-compliant rental properties through continued enforcement of codes, the use of grants, and other incentives.
  4. Invest in housing code enforcement training and expand enforcement efforts to monitor and ensure both owner-occupant and investment properties are meeting regulatory standards of building maintenance and health conditions.
  5. Expand financial and technical resources for the maintenance and improvement of owner-occupied and rental properties with conditions that ensure the continued affordability of the housing units.
  6. Explore and implement options for requiring a minimum set of labor standards in development projects.
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