A new plan to improve housing has already displaced some BU students and could impact more as houses are inspected.
The mayor’s new plan includes sending ISD inspectors out with Boston Police on the weekends to break up loud parties. When the police enter to assess the situation, the ISD will come in with them and inspect the houses for violations, according to John Dorsey, the assistant commissioner for policy and communication at the city’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD).
Some off-campus residences housing BU students have already been condemned, according to Dorsey
With buildings at 28 Ashford St., 48 Gardner St. and 83 Gardner St. already demolished, Dorsey said more BU student houses are under investigation.
Dorsey said he noticed many students are glad to see the city is working to solve the housing problems.
“[Menino] is going to get something done for them,” Dorsey said.
Jon Lewis, a junior in Metropolitan College, said he was worried his house could be condemned after its recent inspection by city officials.
“Our house was targeted,” Lewis said. “Inspectors came and found code violations, so basically the landlord has been in here every day.”
However, Lewis said many of the problems already existed when he moved in this fall.
“We were missing locks on windows and tiles in the bathroom,” he said. “The landlords really need to shape up.”
Lewis said he is glad Menino has decided to crack down on landlords and the poor living conditions in student-populated neighborhoods, but said the measures did not come soon enough.
“In the meantime, we are suffering,” Lewis said.
Menino said accountability will be a factor in the future. He said the city will be holding schools up to greater responsibility for the behavior and welfare of their students and will make sure students face the consequences of their conduct while in the neighborhoods.
The mayor said he also wants schools to be more accountable for their students’ living conditions, and said the city of Boston will be meeting with schools to make sure all off-campus housing receives a pre-rental inspection. Individual schools will also be required to provide 24-hour parent/landlord emergency information, according to the press release.
The plan also calls for the creation of an “undesirable landlords list,” which schools could get at their request. The list would include landlords who have had re-occurring problems at properties they own.
Additionally, Menino called for a reduction in the minimum square foot requirements under state sanitary code for dormitory sleeping space, allowing colleges to house more students in the same amount of space. Students who lose off-campus housing could then be placed in the dorms.
However, despite BU’s policy that guarantees undergraduates on-campus housing for all four years, the offer is revoked if they move off campus. Then it becomes their responsibility to find a place to live, according to BU spokesman Colin Riley.
Riley said the school is pleased the city is cracking down on dilapidated housing and agrees with the mayor’s plan.
“We support the mayor, his administration and the city agencies in their efforts to improve the maintenance and safety of residences off campus that our students reside in,” Riley said.