West Valley City updates boarding-house enforcement as complaints rise

West Valley City staff told the City Council at its Feb. 20 budget retreat that a multi-department task force has been working since May to investigate suspected boarding houses and enforce code violations.

Steve Basterick, who presented the task force update, said Community Development staffer Jenny Barnett now “really is the one that starts the case and pursues that.” He described a complaint-driven approach: many referrals come from the police and are screened by staff who look for corroborating evidence such as police reports, bodycam footage, online rental ads and county assessor records showing unpermitted interior conversions.

Basterick said common violations include finished basements with multiple kitchens and rental rooms without proper permits or licensing. He told the council that a single complaint does not automatically trigger enforcement: staff research each report and open cases only when evidence indicates a boarding-house use.

Staff provided monthly counts of complaints compiled by Barnett: October 4, November 4, December 3, January 7 and February 9. Basterick said in some instances the investigation finds other code violations even when boarding-house evidence is lacking, and those matters are pursued outside the task force.

Council members asked whether the city could speed remedies. Basterick replied that the investigation itself is not usually the lengthy part — obtaining compliance is. “It’s getting a permit and then… getting it back into compliance” that can take months, he said, especially when tenants are under lease and staff try to avoid evicting occupants before leases expire.

The presentation concluded with staff saying the group will continue biweekly meetings, coordinate across departments (building inspection, code enforcement, police) and refine research and inspection procedures to be more effective and less disruptive to tenants.

Next steps: the task force will continue casework and coordination; staff said they will return with additional data as investigations progress.