Organize teams of neighbors to be responsible for first aid, search and rescue, communications and firefighting. Compile a list of resources and skills available among your fellow tenants. The City's Office of Emergency Services has staff available to come to your meeting place and to talk to you in a group about basic personal preparedness and how to organize yourselves. Call 644-8736 for more information on this free service. Board staff is often asked by a party to a petition why, after a hearing is held, they must wait so long before the hearing examiner issues the decision.
Many factors affect the time it takes to write a decision.
Hundreds of Rent Board petitions are decided each year. For obvious reasons, cases where the law is not settled, significant facts are disputed, or numerous issues are presented, require more time. Petitions alleging habitability problems generally take longer because the hearing examiner must make a judgment, based on the evidence presented, as to the level of impairment, if any, to the tenant's use of and benefit from the rental unit. Shared housing is a viable alternative to the high cost of shelter for people with limited budgets, including single mothers and the elderly. Renting an extra room in your home or apartment is a great way to cut costs, just as renting a room is less expensive than renting an apartment.