Monday, August 24, 2009

Will the "Slumlord" inspection finally start?

It's been almost a year since voters overwhelmingly passed the slum landlord law. Since then, it has been fairly quiet regarding the law and what the council will do to put it on the books. Well, the waiting may have finally come to the end. It looks like the new law will be presented to the City Council at its next meeting.

It seems like its going to be a fairly involved process to actually investigate the inside of some of these slum properties. Permission must either be granted to inspect the property or the order must be obtained from the judget in the form of a warrent. These types of safe guards will hopefully prevent abuse from making its want into the process, but will also allow Mesa to do something about some of the rental properties that have fallen into disrepair.

This issue is needed more now than ever. The economy has taken its toll on everyone, and more places are lying vacant, reduced for quick sale, or occupied by tenants paying significantly less rent. Cashflow issues could lead to delay in repairs, which could lead to long-term damage and overall reduction in quality. Let's hope Mesa's employees can use this efficiently and effectively to battle these negative possibilities.

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