Dayton City Commission passes ‘pay to stay’ ordinance

The Dayton City Commission unanimously passed a “pay to stay” ordinance Wednesday that helps protect tenants from unnecessary evictions.

The ordinance gives judges discretion to allow tenants to avoid an eviction if all back rent, late fees, and court costs have been paid, according to a city officials.

Currently, landlords do not have to accept back rent if an eviction has already been filed.

City officials said Dayton has been considering an ordinance like this for nearly a year and has had many discussions with landlord and tenant advocates through the Eviction Task Force about the final version.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley believes this ordinance will prevent evictions that upend families and destabilize neighborhood.

“The pay to stay ordinance is an important step in stemming the local eviction crisis,” said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. “Like so much else, COVID-19 has made Dayton’s existing eviction crisis much worse especially for Black Daytonians.”

Cox Media Group