(a) The purpose of this Article VIII is to protect the health, safety and general welfare of residents of the city living in housing furnished to them through payment of money or services to the
of the property or designee. The general objectives of this Article VIII include:
(1) To maintain a quality of character and stability of
;
(2) To correct and prevent conditions that adversely affect, or are likely to adversely affect the life, safety, welfare and health of occupants of
;
(3) To provide minimum standards for cooking, heating and sanitary equipment necessary to the health and safety of the occupants of
;
(4) To provide minimum standards for light and ventilation necessary for the health and safety of occupants of
;
(5) To provide minimum space standards to prevent overcrowding;
(6) To provide standards for maintenance of
to prevent blight and nuisance conditions; and
(7) To preserve the value of land and buildings throughout the city.
(b) The intent of this Article VIII is to establish a permanent mode of protecting and regulating the living conditions of residents of the city who
and to provide a means for imposing license fees to help the city defray the costs necessary for housing inspections and enforcement of this Article VIII.
(c) It is not the city’s intent to intrude upon the fair and accepted contractual relationship between
and landlord. The city does not intend to intervene as an advocate of either party, or to act as an arbiter, or to be receptive to the complaints from a
or landlord not specifically and clearly relevant to the provisions of this Article VIII. In the absence of such relevancy with regard to rental disputes, it is intended that the contracting parties exercise such legal rights as are available to them without the intervention of the city.