AWARENESS GOOD FIRST STEP
Landlords have their say
SALISBURY POST |
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Which came first? The bad tenant, or the bad landlord? As the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force heard tales this
week from the landlord-tenant war, the property owners painted a pretty ugly picture of
the kind of tenants they encounter. They
described rental units left virtually in ruins, strewn with dirty diapers and rotting
food. They told of screening tenants as best they could — only to be duped time after
time — and struggling through costly, drawn-out eviction orders. And one homeowner
shared the sad story of being so eager to buy her home that she overlooked an important
fact: Beside it sat a rental house that would have a continuous parade of sloppy, abusive
tenants.
Their complaints were enough to turn a person
against renters forever.
But that would be a mistake and a gross
over-generalization. Many a homeowner started out as a tenant somewhere. And home
ownership is not for everyone. For a large percentage of the population, the idea of
saving up a down payment and buying and maintaining a house is an American dream that will
elude them all their lives.
So, what’s the city to do? Just the public airing of these concerns is an important
first step. The Neighborhood Improvement Task Force is raising awareness of the challenges
landlords and tenants face. It brings a needed spotlight to the extra steps responsible
landlords take, and may prompt some of the lazier ones to clean up their act — or at
least their properties. Bad tenants may make life miserable for good landlords, but
there’s more than one side to this story. Everyone knows landlords who let their
properties languish and rot — even as they keep renting them out. They may believe
that, for the price, their renters don’t deserve any better. But they set an
unhealthy tone for landlord-tenant relationships, and some tenants may carry that
resentment with them as they move on to other units.
You would think such landlords would not be able
to find anyone to rent their units. But Salisbury desperately needs more low-cost housing
for the working poor. Just ask the 40-plus people who spent last night in Rowan Helping
Ministries’ Homeless Shelter. (Where, by the way, the pantry is pitifully low.)
They’re not there because they are chronic “street people,” as the homeless
used to be called. Most are working people who can’t swing the rent — or even a
few groceries, in some cases. Those who can scrape together some money will find the
rental market achingly tight. They’ll have to take what they can get.
They and others in the rental market may need
lessons in how to be a good tenant. That may sound simplistic, but something is obviously
lacking here. In many cases, it’s concern for the property they’re renting. But
people are not born with an instinct for running a household and keeping things neat.
Those are habits that have to be learned. Which means someone has to teach them.
Where the city is going with all this is not yet
clear. There could be penalties for recalcitrant tenants, or stricter code enforcement and
fines for the owners of ill-kept properties. But education should play a big part of
whatever plan the Neighborhood Improvement Task Force develops. Landlords need to know
better methods for screening tenants and motivating them to be responsible. And tenants
need coaching in what makes a good renter. There are many good people on both sides.
Unfortunately, the bad ones are helping create an unhealthy climate for all. |
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