DAVENPORT, Iowa — Following the tragic building collapse in downtown Davenport last year, which claimed three lives and left significant damage to the Davenport Hotel, city officials are enacting new legislation aimed at protecting tenants. Starting on Thursday, Nov. 14, a newly approved ordinance will allow Davenport tenants to withhold rent payments if their landlords fail to maintain safe living conditions.
The ordinance, known as the Rent Abatement Ordinance, grants the City of Davenport the power to instruct landlords not to collect rent when property maintenance falls below acceptable standards. With renters making up more than 37% of Davenport’s population, this ordinance represents a historic step for the city, which has not previously had such a policy in place.
Seventh Ward Alderwoman Mhisho Lynch said the ordinance's primary goal is to prevent tragedies by encouraging landlords to prioritize maintenance.
“It protects tenants from living in uninhabitable environments, especially where there are safety concerns,” Lynch said, adding that the ordinance should have little impact on responsible property owners. “As long as we’re maintaining our properties as we should, it won’t affect us at all.”
The ordinance was developed with input from the Quad Cities Tenant Alliance, a local organization dedicated to informing and supporting renters in the Quad Cities. The alliance has been instrumental in shaping the new rules to ensure that renters have safer, habitable homes.
Dennis Platt, co-chair of the Quad Cities Tenant Alliance, underscored the significance of having a tool like the Rent Abatement Ordinance.
“Having the right enforcement tool at the moment ensures that you minimize collateral damage,” Platt said.
City officials confirm that landlords will receive multiple warnings before the abatement order applies to their properties. They said the ordinance is intended to be a last-resort measure to address extreme cases of neglect.
“It will be a proverbial tool for the city to use in very unique circumstances where all else has failed,” Alderwoman-at-Large Jazmin Newton said. “99% of our landlords will not be affected by this because 99% are doing a great job providing habitable housing.”