Dear editor:
In regard to Sharon Grant's letter on the topic of requiring inspections and fees of vacant rental properties in order to curb crime and reduce slumlords. First of all, thanks to Sharon Grant for throwing the entire community of good landlords under the bus because she's angry with her bad neighbors. She states, "I have been asked by multiple landlords to lead the fight against this. Please don't ask me again!" Mrs. Grant should probably not worry too much about landlords asking her for anything again or aligning themselves with her at any level from this point on.
She states she can "see both sides of this issue," yet only gives one side of the issue any ink. The truth of the matter is, Mrs. Grant wants all landlords to pay and be subjected to code compliance so slumlords will clean up her neighborhood.
Mrs. Grant states, "I believe inspections, done by qualified inspectors, are needed and a fee each time there is a vacancy may help law enforcement control crime." (Why can't law enforcement control crime now?) Inspections and fees will never ensure landlords will rent to more desirable tenants. If a landlord is forced to pay to update a unit to pass inspection, landlords and slumlords will pass that cost on to the tenants as higher rents and deposits. If the cost is unreasonable, dozens of landlords (ultimately tenants) would be charged unfairly. If the cost is minor, there's no motivation for a landlord/slumlord to change anything.
One thing is for sure, though: all landlords would be unfairly subjected to more government overreach and bureaucracy. But, of course, the important thing here is that Mrs. Grant gets "her" neighborhood cleaned up!
Secondly, I can't imagine the city and the county combining forces on something so ludicrous. The sheer volume of paperwork and strategic planning to constantly monitor hundreds of houses to decide which ones are owner occupied, rented, not rented, which are weekenders, being sold on contract, or those vacant for years would be nearly impossible.
Unless we all want to live under communist rule, bad tenants and bad landlords will always be. Law enforcement (not landlords) should be charged with ensuring that neighborhoods are safe and quiet. If there are people "speeding, having loud drunken parties, loud mufflers and radios," then Mrs. Grant should call the police. If the police don't respond, or find no one in violation when they do, then her complaint should be with the police or sheriff. If no laws are actually being broken, she has the right to move to a more desirable neighborhood, or maybe sell her house to a really good landlord and move to California!
Although I am one of the six founding members of the Hot Springs Landlord Association, long time webmaster and past member of the board of directors, I do not speak for the membership of the Hot Springs Landlord Association and neither does Mrs. Grant.
David Campbell
Hot Springs
Editorial on 02/04/2016