We all have a right and a reason to want to live somewhere we can feel safe and call home, whether it’s as a renter or a homeowner. However, too often “crime” and “homeless” statistics are produced only in a way that suggests unless there is a crack-down on the “transients,” the community simply cannot become a “safe” place to life.
If we are to be successful at addressing issues such as lowering the crime rates in a community, we must begin building the databases we need to start with background checks on the property owners and not the prospective tenants, along with crafting smart legislation that strengthens the residential rental marketplace and effective reporting and responding mechanisms.
From discrimination in advertisements, illegally posing as a landlord and illegal lockouts all the way to no certificates of occupancy and/or no valid implied warranty of habitability, the judgment and decisions of a property owner before they ever enter a rental agreement absolutely must be a part of every community “reducing crime.”
For example, a property owner that does not care for their property puts the entire community at risk on multiple levels, no matter how many want to blame a renter for what ails them. Too many property owners do not put aside any money whatsoever for repairs on a building and yet they want to know a tenant will deliver rent money without fail AND they want the right to reject the tenant AND they want the full support of the community whenever something goes “wrong” in connection with their property.
Another example would be a property owner that performs an illegal lockout crosses over from civil law to criminal law and yet too many jurisdictions have no idea how to handle such circumstances. Every victim of a property owner’s illegal lockout creates another homeless person in which the victim carries the shame of being homeless for even 5 minutes while the property owner gets to rent again and enjoy a meal delivered from a local restaurant.
One of the strongest examples we offer are the thousands of people who continue to have the word “Eviction” slapped to their records when it is the landlord who is not doing right by the tenant and then being faced with a marketplace advertising sentences like “NO EVICTIONS EVER!” in big, bold letters. This is a warning sign that the property owner wants a tenant who keeps their mouths shut should something go wrong with the property, even thought they may not view it that way.
Which is why background checks are so crucial of a component in the rental marketplace. Potential renters have a right to know if the taxes are up to date and paid, let alone whether or not the property is in foreclosure, both factors that can influence someone’s decision to move into a property, especially if they are looking for a long-term rental. They have a right to know if the property has passed any inspections and how many meters are in the building for utilities. They have a right to know who is behind the land trust or corporation owning the property.
But the biggest reason why it’s time for property owner background checks to become the norm?
Because we believe there is more empty housing in this nation than there are homeless people ready, willing and able to plug into a community…as long as they were welcomed with open arms and not the clenched fists of a group of members of the community. It’s amazing what can happen when people are treated with respect and dignity, especially renters.
#RentersRights #CriminalPropertyOwners #BackgroundChecks