Inspections, inspections

Aaannnnnd we're back!

Okay, so its been a month. I know, how do we engage anyone if we're never here? I guess we just keep trying. Anyway, I came across this article about a state bill being considered that would impact the role property inspectors have in terms of random selection of potential code violators in Raleigh and Durham. It sounds like a good thing for property owners.

Have a read.

Proponents of this bill seem to understand that landlords are often impacted by violations they had no idea were in play. Many property owners feel that rules are applied haphazardly and in many cases, are applied to some and not to others. (The PROP, for example.) If the codes were enforced in a uniform manner, property owners would at least have some reasonable ground on which to stand. And, the relationship between the two parties (city inspectors and landlords) would improve.

That being said, the property inspector's role is vital to the vibrancy of a community. The disconnect comes when city officials, who often demonstrate very little understanding of the role rental property plays in the city, add regulations without consenting the very owners of that community. (Garbage disposal ban, anyone?)

Every city needs affordable housing. (Keep in mind: there is no connection between needing affordable housing and an inability to obey the law.) And it is the goal of all landlords to own property in respectable areas. Who seriously believes that landlords like to chase down tenants for rent? Many landlords would be more than happy to make a property more attractive and an appealing part of any city street and have tenants who respected their apartments. Because eventually, that would lead to increased property values and more rent.

The old adage, "the tenants will treat the property like it treats them" is quite a ways from reality. There are bad property owners, of course. However, even the most ever-present landlords see new windows get busted out, appliances stolen, cars abandoned, carpet ruined and police called. It is simply a harsh reality of owning rental property, regardless of location.

Essentially, there is a delicate balance between the quality of a property and its contribution to a
neighborhood. Houses don't commit crimes. Their occupants do. However, a blind eye is turned toward the real source of blight in an effort to ignore that not-so-harsh truth. Nicer property will not make a neighborhood's residents suddenly respect it. Ask anyone who tries to change a neighborhood. I can speak first hand for a couple of our customers who have rehabbed on rough streets, leased the units, and are still fighting thefts, non-payment, yard trash and PROP violations.

The mindset that a slanted porch is a driver of community blight simply doesn't jive. If several adjacent properties are abandoned and attracting crack dens and prostitution, then surely something needs to be done. This bill allows for an inspection department to play a key role in community upkeep while bettering the relationship between frustrated apartment owners and city inspection departments. I hope it passes.