Iowa City council members passed a new ordinance giving the city the power to let tenants stop paying rent until their landlord fixes any major problems that violate housing code. The purpose of the ordinance is to hold landlords accountable for code violations while offering more protection for tenants. "They're not responsible for the rent from the time the city provides a notice [to the tenant and landlord], until the problem is resolved, or an inspector goes out there to check," said Iowa City Neighborhood Services Coordinator Tracy Hightshoe. Landlord Tara Harris said she would never put her tenants in a house she would not live in herself. She said this new ordinance is unnecessary because landlords typically maintain their rental units per city code. "It kind of upset me," she said. The city said this ordinance came to be, in part, because of the poor conditions residents faced at an apartment complex called Rose Oaks. The location where the complex once stood is now owned by new management.