For some city residents, the comforts of home are simply not there.

While some apartments in the city come with inexpensive rents, they also may come with deficiencies that violate the city's building codes.

Those codes are to protect residents, but getting problems fixed is not always easy.

If a landlord is unresponsive to a problem, the tenant would have to submit a complaint to the city.

However, if a violation is too severe, renters may be forced out of their homes until necessary repairs are made. That may mean they have no where to live.

“It all depends on the violation, but some tenants may have to move out,” said John Evans, the code enforcement officer for the city.

The city does not have the means to supply alternate housing to those individuals, meaning a displaced renter must find a new place to live until repairs are made.

Temporary eviction due to code violations is not uncommon in the city.

“That happens about once every other month,” Evans said, adding it most recently happened in March at an apartment on East Brady Street.

In that case, the home had too many problems to allow its five residents to continue living there.

“It had numerous violations,” Evans said. “Gas leaks, missing window, water leaks — significant building code violations.”

Repairs to the home were made within a week, Evans said, and the renters have returned to the building.

City can check units

As a preventive measure to avoid such instances from happening, city officials are willing to help prospective renters confirm the safety of an apartment before moving in.

“If someone is going to rent a place, they can give us a call, and we'll gladly check it out,” Evans said.

The only problem is the city needs the landlord's permission to enter the home if the tenant is not under a lease.

To help protect tenants, the city may explore adopting annual inspections for apartments, Evans said.

This year it adopted annual fire inspections for commercial buildings, which include residential apartment complexes with more than two units.

But those inspections only check for fire hazards such as electrical work, smoke detectors and sprinkler systems.

A new inspection process focused on building code violations would have to get city council approval.

But until inspections are made, it will remain up to tenants to report unresponsive landlords who don't fix problems.

Evans estimated there are 1,500 to 2,000 rental units in the city.

Complaint process

For tenants who want to report a complaint to the city, there is a form at the city building and on the city's website.

The form asks tenants to describe the violation and whether the city may access the home for an inspection.

Evans said the city receives numerous complaints each year.

“There are highs and lows, but we average about two per week,” he said.

Evans said the nature of the complaints depends on the season.

“In the winter it's going to be about heating,” he said. “In the summer there are a number of things.”

Common issues of complaints include mold, broken windows and plumbing issues.

Landlords found to be in violation of the city's zoning code could face heavy fines.

“If they don't comply, they can get cited for each violation,” Evans said. “The fine can be up to $500 per day per fine.”

Evans said the largest fine the city has imposed totaled about $90,000.

“That was the Chantler's Bakery building at corner of Center Avenue and Monroe Street,” Evans said. “It was in court probably three or four years ago. The city won that case.”

Some help available

The Lighthouse Foundation in Butler offers assistance for people evicted from their homes.

Claire Borchert, the director of transitional housing with the agency, said the best course of action is finding a new place to live.

“We find that it is better to help them get in somewhere else,” Borchert said. “That way they can find a place to stay that is safe.”

Borchert said the time it takes for repairs to be made causes the agency to suggest new housing.

The Lighthouse Foundation can offer up to $150 in rental assistance to families in need of a new home.

If a person needs temporary housing after being evicted, the foundation can help keep them in a motel for a couple days.

The Housing Authority of Butler County also can serve as a safety net for those in need of affordable housing.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 housing program, administered through the county authority, has regulations regarding annual inspections of participating apartments.

Landlords in the program must agree to annual inspections by the authority, making persons with vouchers more protected from living in an unsafe environment.

If a violation is found during the inspection, the landlord is responsible for fixing it.

“We hold rent back until the necessary repairs are made,” said Perry O'Malley, the executive director with the authority.

He said the annual inspections, which are based on HUD standards, protect low income families.

“Decent, safe, and affordable are the terms used with Section 8 housing,” he said.

However, the number of Section 8 vouchers is limited and almost always is at capacity.

Maintenance helps all

Erin Mossman-Colkitt, the assistant property manager for Newbury Realty Group in Butler, said it is to the landlord's advantage to keep properties maintained.

“It's in everyone's best interest,” she said. “We want the tenants to be happy and the property to remain in the best shape for our benefit.”

Newbury Realty has more than 230 units in five apartment complexes in and around Butler.

Mossman-Colkitt said landlords need to provide both preventive maintenance as well as work when repairs are needed.

“When someone enters a lease, everything in the apartment should be checked,” she said. “They should start with a clean slate.”

Residents of Newbury units can put in a work order should a repair be needed. Mossman-Colkitt said the response time to those orders depends on the number of items in the queue.

“However, emergencies take precedence over anything else,” she said.

But landlords don't need a maintenance staff to maintain their properties.

Jeff Weber owns 56 units in 31 residential buildings, mostly single-home and duplexes, in the city.

Weber, his two sons, and his father all help maintain each of the properties.

Weber said it is important to keep up with maintenance in his units.

“I think you're going to get a better tenant,” he said. “We try to keep up as much as we can.”

Weber said his family makes most of its repairs during the time when one tenant leaves and the next tenant takes up residence.

He said if any of his renters have an issue while living in one of the apartments, they can call him and he'll fix it.

“I think they recognize if it's cosmetic, it probably won't get done that same day,” he said. “But if it's an emergency, like electric or water, we'll get out there and fix it.”

Weber said about 20 percent of his units are Section 8 housing, and he appreciates the annual inspections by the housing authority.

“They've helped me out a couple times,” he said. “I don't do inspections myself, so if a tenant doesn't report anything, I won't see it.”