Press Release
As part of our continued community partnership, the Batavia Police Department offers the following services to landlords in an effort to help them choose the best possible tenants and evaluate police responses to their properties. These services were developed in direct response to feedback the department received from landlords and directly address the concerns they had.
Below are the listed services and information on both programs.
Property Owner FOIL (Freedom Of Information Law) Request – This service will tell landlords how many times the Batavia Police Department has responded to a property within the time frame requested. After the initial request, we will provide a monthly contact summary every month on the second Tuesday of the month. Landlords can have the information emailed to them at no cost. For a hard copy, a charge of $.25 per page will be assessed. Copies of actual reports will not be provided.
Tenant Background Check – This service will show landlords the times a potential tenant has been arrested. This information will only show arrests and not how many times the potential tenant has had police contact. The information provided will include arrests from the Batavia Police Department ONLY and will cover the previous 5 years. The potential tenant will have to submit the background check form, in person, as we must verify their identity. Cost for this service is $10 which will need to be collected from the potential tenant at the time the form is turned in. The background form cannot be turned in by the landlord.
Copies of the above request forms can be found under the “Police Department” section on the City of Batavia’s website located at http://www.batavianewyork.com/Files. Forms can also be provided via email, US Mail or by stopping at Batavia Police Headquarters located at 10 W. Main St., Batavia, NY 14020. Results can be sent via email, US Mail or in person.
Landlords who have questions or desire further information on the programs can contact the Batavia Police Department, Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM at 585-345-6356.
I want Landlords in the area to have to tools they need to be successful but this is a terrible idea! A person’s arrest record DOES NOT mean they would be a bad tenant or that they committed a crime. It should not be used as a way to screen tenants. This opens the door for all kinds of discrimination and fair housing violations. PLEASE think about think resource before using it. I don’t think this solves any problems but creates a bunch of new ones!
This could also lead to housing barriers for victims of domestic violence. If a LL sees that the police have been called to my residence 5 times in the last year, will they chose not to rent to me? What I had to call the police because my life or my children’s lives were in danger and now I need to get an apartment on my own to protect my family? A LL could potentially deny my application because I had to call the police? This is not a good idea.