Panel Favors Rent Control Ombudsman

A City Council subcommittee will recommend Monday the hiring of an ombudsman and additional staff for the Cambridge Rent Control Board, in an effort to ease communications problems and reduce a backlog of pending cases.

The recommendation, prepared by subcommittee chairman David Sullivan, says that "serious problems characterize rent control in Cambridge today." It cites slow processing of cases, low staff morale, and neglect of tenants and landlords as examples of the problems.

"Something has to change for the better and soon," Sullivan said last night. If current conditions continue much longer, "people will get so disgusted with the inefficiency that we could lose rent control all together," he added.

The city adopted the control system ten years ago. Under the law, landlords cannot raise rents without city approval.

Sullivan said "pretty widespread support" for an ombudsman existed on the council.

If the council approves the recommendation, the ombudsman would "have as his or her sole function improving communication between the department and the public." Sullivan said the ombudsman might replace one of the present hearing examiners, lowering the cost of the plan.

Peter Stanton, the executive director of the Rent Control Board, said yesterday he "had no objection" to the ombudsman idea. "I think he ought to be separate from our staff, though, so he can retain objectivity," Stanton added.

The report also recommends an annual rent increase that does not burden tenants with added fuel costs resulting from inadequate insulation, improved staff supervision and training and a screening system to rank cases by importance.