L.A. Controller Ron Galperin released an audit of the Systematic Code Enforcement Program, which inspects the city’s residential rental units to verify compliance with state and local health, safety and building codes.

The controller’s audit includes recommendations to streamline the program and to improve compliance so that all rental units within Los Angeles are safe and habitable.

“The health and safety of people who reside in L.A. needs to be of paramount importance,” Galperin said. “Our city has over time improved its code enforcement programs. But there is more we can and should be doing to respond quickly to complaints, to ensure the absolute accuracy of inspections and to modernize how we do it.”

“We’re extremely supportive of SCEP and of L.A. Controller Ron Galperin for pinpointing where we need to better focus our resources to ensure these are truly successful programs.” said Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival.

Created in 1998 to provide routine inspections of residential buildings with two or more rental units, SCEP inspections aim to curtail and remedy substandard conditions.

More than 96,000 properties and more than 740,000 rental units are subject to SCEP, which is conducted by the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department.

To improve SCEP’s fiscal processes, effectiveness and complaint response times, the controller’s audit recommends that HCID respond more quickly to complaints to address response times that have lagged.

HCID’s ability to respond to complaints within its goal of 72 hours fell from 89 percent in 2011 to 70 percent in 2017.

Another recommendation is to update HCID’s list of properties subject to SCEP to ensure inspections and billing are accurate. Currently, certain properties are erroneously inspected while others are incorrectly billed due to erroneous information.

For the complete list of recommendations, and to read the audit, visit lacontroller.org/SCEP.