During last night's Regular Assembly Meeting, Assembly Members Zac Johnson and Erin Baldwin Day introduced AO 2025-93, an ordinance requiring landlords to provide financial support to tenants when units are deemed uninhabitable by officials due to life safety issues.
Through this ordinance, the sponsors seek to ensure tenants have resources to relocate quickly if their units become uninhabitable due to severe neglect by landlords, and to strengthen municipal enforcement tools that hold property owners accountable for maintaining safe, livable dwellings. By requiring relocation assistance and clarifying enforcement authority, the ordinance promotes housing stability while discouraging neglect of critical repairs.
“When landlords fail to provide safe housing, tenants pay the price," said Assembly Member Zac Johnson, co-sponsor of the ordinance. “Amid the housing shortage crisis, we are compelled to respond to recent high-profile cases where renters were stuck without heat for months in the winter because landlords neglected their responsibility to keep their buildings habitable. This ordinance ensures that when people are forced out of their homes through no fault of their own, they won't be left out in the cold without support."
In cases where credible reports of health and safety code violations go unresolved under AMC 15.05.060, and MOA issues a notice to vacate, the ordinance requires landlords to provide displaced tenants with twice their monthly rent plus refunds for deposits or prepaid rent within seven days of the order to vacate. If owners fail to pay, the Municipality may advance relocation costs from a dedicated fund and recover the expense, adding daily penalties if reimbursement is not made within 60 days.
In the most severe cases of deliberate neglect, inspectors may also refer landlords to the Municipal Prosecutor to pursue criminal charges when they repeatedly force tenants to live in unsafe conditions in violation of an order to repair or vacate a property.
“Housing stability is essential to the health and future of every Anchorage resident," said Assembly Member Erin Baldwin Day, co-sponsor of the ordinance. “This measure gives renters a reasonable safety net and ensures that a negligent landlord cannot simply shrug when a notice to vacate is posted on an uninhabitable property. Our goal is simple: keep people safe, housed, and treated fairly."
The ordinance additionally proposes enhancements to the inspection authority of the Municipality while protecting residents' privacy, clarifying that Code Enforcement officials may inspect residential properties based on complaints or probable cause during reasonable hours. If access is denied, officials may obtain an administrative search warrant. Complainants' identities will be kept confidential when feasible.
Public Hearing Details
The public hearing on AO 2025-93 is scheduled for the Regular Assembly Meeting on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The public is invited to share input on the ordinance through the following channels:
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Contact:
Erin Baldwin Day | District 4, Midtown Anchorage
erin.baldwin.day@anchorageak.gov
Zac Johnson | District 6, South Anchorage, Girdwood, Turnagain Arm
zac.johnson@anchorageak.gov