[Durham INC] Opposition to a bill to limit how housing inspections can be done

[Pat Carstensen]

At the delegate meeting last night, we heard about another bad bill in the NC General Assembly.  This is my version of an INC resolution against it.  I'm not sure I've read correctly what the bill will do, so that may need to be updated.  Regards, pat
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WHEREAS, rental units in the City of Durham should be maintained in a safe and
habitable condition and comply with will city codes and standards applicable to
rental housing in Durham; and

 

WHEREAS, establishing a cycle of inspections of rental housing units in
Greensboro and Asheville resulted in a significant decrease in the number of complaints
and substandard units (while requiring less staff); and

 

WHEREAS, Durham’s Neighborhood Improvement Services has begun a promising
Periodic Rental Inspection Program; and

 

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 554, which is
currently in the General Assembly, would significantly limit the ability of
Inspections to do their job by, for example, requiring equal treatment of rental
and owner-occupied units, forbidding licensing of rental properties, allowing
routine inspections only if there is “reasonable cause” to think there may be
issues, and even banning a requirement for landlord training; and

 

WHEREAS, this is part of a worrisome tendency in the General Assembly to take
away local rights,

 

THEREFORE, the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham (INC)
resolves that SB 554 should be opposed, and to carry out this opposition,
appropriate representatives of INC should (1) ask members of the Durham
Delegation to oppose this bill, (2) ask Durham City Council to pass a
resolution opposing this bill, and (3) ask other neighborhood organizations in
the state-wide network to add their voices to the opposition to the bill.




 		 	   		  
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