New Ordinances Could Eliminate Slumlords

C. Richard Cobb: New ordinances could eliminate slumlords
May 18, 2008 @ 10:06 PM
The Herald-Dispatch

It is time for Huntington's slum landlords to be identified and vilified. The city of Huntington is in the process of hiring additional code enforcement officers. I hope the city will move to begin prosecuting rental property owners who refuse to bring their substandard real estate up to code.

I visit the homes of some of our most vulnerable citizens, many of whom are members of our volunteer litter abatement program called "Adopt Your Block -- Be a Litter-Gitter." Many of these folks help to keep their blocks free of street litter. They are vulnerable because they cannot afford to live in more stable neighborhoods. This makes them targets for some unscrupulous landlords who prey on the unfortunate in our midst.

Frankly, many rental homes and apartments in Huntington are not livable. There are hundreds of cases where the plumbing does not work, the floors are rotting, the windows barely keep out the cold and the structural integrity of many is obviously suspect. In many cases, there are infestations of rodents, roaches and black mold.

There are several slum landlords in Huntington. They go about the business of collecting rents while refusing to keep their unlivable properties repaired and safe. Building codes are being violated, but the renters are powerless to force their landlords to make repairs and correct building code violations. Many of these renters receive subsidized rental payments through the Section 8 housing program of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. These subsidized housing units are regularly inspected for HUD compliance. However, many times the landlord fails to take corrective action in a timely manner, and the tenant is required to move to another substandard rental property.

Finally, Marshall University students are being victimized by unscrupulous landlords who charge exorbitant rents for off-campus housing. They charge rent per person to maximize the units' income while doing very little to keep their properties livable.

I would like to see a new city ordinance that requires anyone renting property to have a city license. The ordinance would require the registration of every real estate unit a property owner plans to let for rent. This would identify all rental property owners in our city. Landlords would pay a yearly license fee and be required to have each rental unit inspected and re-inspected each time a unit is rented. These licensed landlords would be subject to heavy penalties if they allowed occupancy before an inspection and certificate of occupancy is issued by the city. There would be additional penalties if landlords failed to keep their lists of rental properties current and on record with the city.

In 1959, Huntington was honored with the title of All-American City, and during the submission of the lengthy application process, the lack of affordable housing was identified as a major issue that needed to be addressed during the decade of the 1960s. Almost 50 years later, it is still an issue, and our elected officials continue their long history of diverting their eyes from the victims of unscrupulous slumlords.

Our city should begin the process of re-gentrification by strengthening all ordinances related to building codes and landlord and tenant laws. As Cicero said, "The welfare of the people is the highest law." He meant all of the people, not just the more affluent ones.