Target the bad landlords
Published 1:04 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Everett put its proposed rental inspection program on hold earlier this month, giving people a chance to review it, and for proponents and opponents to do more homework.
The proposed “anti-slum” ordinance, a first for Snohomish County, would have city building inspectors check rental homes every two years for working smoke detectors, plumbing and safe electrical wiring, among other things. If a rental fails inspection, landlords would have to fix any defects within 30 days, then have their property reinspected. The city would pay for the inspections, estimated to cost $100,000 a year, out of the city’s general fund. Or property owners could hire private inspectors at their own expense.
Everett City Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher said the issue of substandard housing in Everett is one of the city’s more “egregious” problems. Landlords who rent out unsafe housing endanger low-income tenants, drive down surrounding property values and pose unfair competition to responsible property owners, Stonecipher said.
“All it takes is a couple bad apples in any neighborhood and property values are in jeopardy, and the quality of life is diminished,” she said.
The intent of the ordinance is confusing — is it more about safety or about property values? Or are they so entwined they can’t be separated?
Critics point out that the city already has a code compliance division to deal with problem properties.
The ordinance exempts new buildings and rentals that are already required to follow other mandatory government inspection programs, such as those with Section 8 tenants. Section 8 is a federal housing assistance program. Do state or city employees inspect those rentals?
Diane Ferguson, vice president of the Snohomish County Apartment Operator’s Association, who opposes the ordinance, said she hopes the city can come up with an alternative that more narrowly focuses on problem landlords who rent unsafe homes to people.
We’d like to know how the ordinance would’ve worked (or not) in regard to a recent fatal fire: On Jan. 3, Kenny Shular, 31, was killed when an eight-unit apartment building on Lombard Avenue burst into flames. The fire displaced more than 30 people, including children and infants. At the scene, tenants told reporters that they had experienced repeated problems with flickering lights and inconsistent heating. They said apartment managers sent tenants a letter warning them not to use Christmas lights. The letter didn’t say why.
Was this an apartment complex that had passed a Section 8 housing inspection? Or is this a perfect example of why Everett does need a rental inspection ordinance targeting landlords who rent out unsafe homes and apartments?
