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The Housing Maintenance Code and Nuisance Code define how one healthfully lives in <br /> and maintains a structure and the outside areas. As such, the Property Maintenance Code <br /> and Nuisance Code are essentially environmental health protection codes as the hygiene <br /> of housing, correspondingly, is an area that deals with people's most intimate living <br /> environments, their homes, and neighborhoods. Into the fabric of housing hygiene are <br /> woven a wide variety of health, safety, economic, social, and political factors. <br /> Housing and Nuisance codes have additional challenges inasmuch that they contain <br /> important social, cultural, and psychological aspects which pertain not only to construction <br /> standards but also the legal rights of citizens; social responsibility; and how problems in <br /> one neighborhood, home or building might affect property values, crime and other issues <br /> in the entire community. <br /> The end goal of Housing Maintenance and Nuisance Code adoption is the eventual <br /> elimination of any substandard conditions within the home, neighborhoods, and <br /> community. This end cannot be reached effectively without adequate resources, <br /> establishing priorities, and measurable goals. <br /> Nearly 35-percent of the housing stock in the City of Mounds View is non-owner occupied <br /> and rental property. Additionally, a significant amount of the housing stock in Mounds View <br /> is aged over 50 years and a majority was constructed prior to 1980. As these structures <br /> grow older economics dictate their income-producing potential for owner's decreases, <br /> thereby decreasing maintenance funds and increasing their rate of deterioration. This view <br /> of outside deterioration is a symptom of this inner struggle and is parallel to a cycle <br /> intimately related to social disparities. Often the cycle results in homeowners and tenants <br /> that have financial means moving on to newer areas with newer neighborhoods, homes <br /> buildings, and resources leaving behind deteriorated buildings, homes and <br /> neighborhoods. This cycle gives emphasis to a continued downward trend until all that <br /> remain are debilitated structures and homes and a decreased quality of life. <br /> Housing and property maintenance programs tend to fall into two categories: proactive <br /> and reactive. The proactive approach attempts to determine if conditions exist that require <br /> intervention prior to a downward trend in housing or property conditions. Reactive <br /> programs respond to complaints about housing and property conditions. Most Cities do <br /> not start off with the notion that they will fall into disrepair, as such many Cities navigate <br /> into housing and property maintenance programs with a reactive approach. <br /> Reactive or complaint driven programs satisfy the people making the complaint or referrals <br /> and may help to improve a small part of the neighborhood, however, they do little to bring <br /> about systematic change and improvements to the entire City due to their unsystematic <br /> method. Often in reactive driven programs staff find themselves involved in neighborhood <br /> disputes or tenant/ property owner disagreements, causing more serious inspection <br /> requests to be delayed. <br />