A newly signed bill will now ensure tenants renting in South Bend are living in safe conditions.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg sat down with city officials and members of the Common Council to sign the bill Wednesday morning.

The bill requires rental properties to go through basic safety inspections, making sure living conditions are in safe and sanitary conditions. Once inspections are successfully completed, rental properties will be given a certificate of rental safety.

"One of the main motivations for doing this [is] that it helps us deal with health, with the threat of things like lead that can be such a burden on, especially, low-income families," Buttigieg said.

The Rental Safety Verification bill is just one of many city initiatives in addressing health problems resulting from lead-based paint in rental properties.