Bad landlords measure gets unanimous Senate committee support

A measure allowing utility companies to ask courts to appoint receivers over certain landlords behind on their utility bills passed unanimously out of a Senate committee Thursday.

Senate Bill 114 stems from shutoffs to hundreds of residents at several Indianapolis complexes last year after the landlord failed to pay its bills.

“A lot of litigation ensued from that, from which we learned there wasn’t a real good remedy for that situation,” author Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, told the Senate Utilities Committee on Thursday.”

“This small step will help send a message that Indiana is no longer ripe for do-what you-want property owners,” said Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, who leads the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance.

Spiegel also noted the higher-than-average percentage of out-of-state landlords in Indiana and called for more rights and recourse for tenants.

Bad landlords measure gets unanimous Senate committee support - Indiana Capital Chronicle