Tenants in Durham now have more protections, after the city council voted unanimously Monday night to amend the city's housing code ordinance.
The new language states it is unlawful for a landlord to collect rent for a unit that is "imminently dangerous to health or safety or to permit any other person to begin occupancy of such place of habitation."
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That would include things like not having heat in the winter months, and not having potable water.
The ordinance amendment came after more than two hours of discussion, debate, and public comment at the meeting. One of the speakers was Milo Graber, a Riverside High School student who helped spearhead the effort as part of the school's Affordable Housing Club.
"A lot of students live in unsafe housing, unhealthy conditions, and are living in fear of getting evicted due to being charged such high rent," he told Council. "Passing this ordinance would do a lot to help a lot of residents, including students, by encouraging landlords to maintain housing."
Tenants of Durham Housing Authority (DHA) properties were among the speakers, citing poor living conditions and ongoing maintenance issues.
"I have a refrigerator i haven't been able to use in a year," one said.
DHA's interim CEO, Anthony Snell, was one of only a few to speak out against the ordinance.
"As a federally-funded entity, we must follow the federal mandate to collect rent from our residents," he said. "Not doing so violates the law."
Snell told Council he believes there are already "adequate city and state measures and safeguards in place to ensure the quality of housing that we provide," to include the city's inspection system, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspections.
"Our funding sources are structurally inadequate and diminishing annually," he continued.
Council member Javiera Caballero expressed her understanding regarding DHA's inadequate federal funding, acknowledging the important role DHA plays in providing affordable housing. Yet she also sympathized with those who spoke about their living conditions.
"I understand folks' frustrations with DHA," Council member Javiera Caballero said during the meeting. "That is real and legitimate. We have had to, quite frankly, bail them out with public money several times."
At the Club Boulevard public housing community, Shalanda Davis told WRAL Investigates that her HVAC unit has been broken for roughly a year, despite repeated complaints and requests for maintenance to fix it. She hopes the new tenant protection will help her, and other tenants, get progress. (Editor's note: On Tuesday afternoon, Davis told WRAL that DHA had since come to her home to fix her unit).
"I'm heating my house with the oven," she said, noting that DHA provided one radiator, which she says is not oven for her three-bedroom home.
When WRAL met Davis at her home, her neighbors said they, too, are experiencing the same issue.
DHA provided a statement to WRAL on the matter.
“As prevalent in our industry today, we are faced with many challenges ranging from staffing and vendor shortages to parts delays resulting from tariffs and seasonal activities. Some HVAC parts have been delayed anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. In addition, DHA has been working through its budgetary constraints affiliated with low rent collections that diminish fiscal resources to pay for essential services.”Durham Housing Authority
The ordinance amendment in Durham was inspired by one in Charlotte.