I think you misunderstand the facts.  I know there is not a lot of information out there yet, but I do know that while it is one adult per bedroom, there is an exception for their significant other.  So a married or dating couple could share one bedroom, but three frat guys could not share that same one bedroom.  That should ease some of your concern. 

I think the main thrust of this is to get a better idea of who is renting to what...and this isn't a war of the city versus the landlord, but the City acting on concerns from some citizens to improve city wide regulation.  I think, in part, the issues with noise and limited off street parking is driving this too.

I think if we all keep an open mind, and open ears, we will learn more as things develop.

OMG... my problem with this is, like OPs have pointed out, there's the problem of the government legislating people's lifestyles. But I do think these houses should be inspected -- a few years ago, one of the renters across our alley was living in the tiny shed behind the house. That lasted until December.

Duluth has housing problems!  The rent is too damn high and the majority of the rentals out there are under maintained and disgusting (this due to landlords and tenants).  The majority of them are also taken by college students.  This seems leave everyone else that doesn't own a house out in the cold, living in a dump (somewhere that the most uncaring college kid can afford) or living somewhere no other college kid could afford.  

The prices are already too high because landlords can charge per bedroom at a high cost... what about a couple and a baby?  

These rules obviously won't help matters at all.

Why can't we have an open discussion with the campus and SA to find a way to promote/build more student housing?  Having gone to UMD I remember clearly that when I hit junior year if I lived on campus still I was a total loser.

There also are no jobs in Duluth!  How can anyone afford living here that isn't a student anyway!  Maybe if we could make more jobs we could fill the rentals with non-college student tenants?

It's all easier said than done.

Mull & James, you two are right, I remember when we moved here right after grad school, we rented a place in Supetown, and our rental  was like $200 more for a comparable place here than in our college town back in North Carolina, that had lots of rentals for non-college students. It's not worth renting here, you gotta buy.

My concern is the idea that you have to pay a fee to have a roommate. I can own a house, and if I want to rent out my spare bedroom, I'd have to go to the city to get permission? I'm against it, on strict laziness and gimme-a-break principles. Okay, tenants need to have rights. I'm down with that. Overcrowding and cars parking on the front lawn is a legitimate concern. But dammit, why should I have to worry about whether or not I'm charging rent to my first cousin for the spare bedroom? 

Now, maybe that's not the spirit of the law being proposed. But if the letter of the law is that I could have an Enemy Neighbor calling up the city because they suspect we in our house are not all either sleeping together or related by blood, I've got a problem with that.

I don't believe you are talking about the house I now live in, Claire. Gorgeous would be a serious stretch. And no, we are not renting. Or "renting". However, I did once rent two rooms in my former home on N. 2Oth while I was living there.

Some Confusing statements above. 

I was at the meeting.
Here's a simplification.  

City Council Hears New Rental Ordinance

1. If you (or your parents) are the owner and live in the home, it's not considered a rental.

2. Yes, the added fees will pay for another city inspector and a cop to enforce the code.

3. The City hopes this strategy will curb blighted properties and get excessive cars off the street. 

4. Will landlord fees go up? Yes. 

5. Will they be significantly higher?  No.  

6. The City's Chief Administrator says the average 3 year rental fee on a single-family home will likely rise by about 50 to 80 dollars.  That's around 20-30 more dollars per year that COULD be absorbed by renters. 

7. This plan will be approved by Jan. 1.  So if you want to give the city your two-cents. Show up at the meeting.

Cheers!

Claire, I think that most posters here are missing the big picture item at hand. We have a local city government (quite liberal and DFL controlled) that has been attempting to add regulations that are quite controlling and are the reasons that the rents increase. If the mayor/city council would quit trying to control the rental market, the rules of supply and demand would settle out the rental prices the old fashioned way. It is quite simple to see that all these added layers of governmental ordinances, fees, regulations, ect. do nothing more that force the local rents higher.

I'm with B-Man --with the caveat that rentals should be inspected reguarly, so we don't have tragedies like what happened in the Twin Cities a few years ago. For instance, people should not be living in unheated sheds behind houses. But if unmarried people or friends want to share a room, that's fine with me, god knows I've shared plenty of rooms with roommates who were unrelated to me.

OG Duluthian -- for your information, Councilor Stauber has *always* been one of the leading proponents of more regulation of rentals, and the 300-foot rule, so stop blaming the "liberal, DFL-controlled" councilors for everything. Sheez.

OG, I don't even own a pair of Birkenstocks.

I thought I'd stay out of this one because you all know about my lefty pinko totalitarian desires to have the exhaulted ministry of uber government control every aspect of our lives. But I wanted to let you know there are more reaonable people than I involved in making this VERY SENSIBLE municipal legislation come about

Campus Neighbors Position Packet re: Rental reform. Suffice to say, you should all support this because it will get me to shut up about how important the 300' rule is.

Requiring off street parking for rentals... Trying to wrap my head around that one.

Know of at least one rental that a friend owns that would probably be easier to sell than add parking (which would require excavating from 4th St up to the front porch)... Not even sure if adding parking would be an option due to existing ordinances.

IMO, address the problem with enforcing existing ordinances before creating more.

thedud--Actually, I did save up to buy a home while making $9-10 an hour.  (It should be noted that I am single and childless, which also helps.)  The FAIM program through Community Action made buying a home very doable.  There's also the Land Trust, which helps lower income people buy affordable homes.  

Rent is indeed expensive in Duluth, but I think home prices are (or can be) comparatively cheap.  I bought a very decent and livable (although in need of updating) house in the Hillside for $65,000 last year.  My mortgage is way cheaper than the rent on my last apartment.

@Claire:  Call the 5-0 if the car is parked illegally, or better yet talk to your neighbor in person.  Or if they don't move their car, contact the landlord, problem solved.

@Baci:  I just cannot justify punishing property owners across the board because of isolated incidents.

@ ian: contact the landlord? And do what exactly? Talk to them? Reason with them? Yeah, fat chance. With many of such living in cities other than here, or Mickey Mouse outfits like ShipWreck, "contacting the landlord" is easier said than done. Additionally if you're fortunate to actually find someone to talk to, getting something done is another topic altogether.

We have two resources that we know work: the tenants themselves, and the local constabulary. When the first resource fails (which it often does after that first kegger) we rely on the second.