Shreveport apartment complex trash buildup

SHREVEPORT, La. – Shreveport City Council members pressed city officials for stronger enforcement tools against landlords during Monday’s administrative meeting, citing a growing number of complaints from residents about broken air conditioning, overflowing trash and deteriorating apartment conditions.

Council members said they have received repeated calls from tenants living without air conditioning during triple-digit temperatures and from residents dealing with trash that has gone uncollected for months.

One council member called on city officials to explore tougher penalties against landlords who fail to maintain their properties.

"I wanted to see what we can do as a city and what enforcement mechanisms that we have to put in place," council Chairwoman Tabatha Taylor said. "The end result for me is how do we get our constituents the help that we need, or direct them to the place where they can get the help, where they're not suffering?"

Property standards Director Terrence Green said the city's authority is limited because many landlord-tenant issues fall under state law rather than municipal code.

Green said the city addressed zoning violations involving overflowing dumpsters at one apartment complex but could not require the property owner to repair broken air conditioning because cooling systems are not required under the building standards the city enforces.

"You will not see air conditioning on there," Green said of the city's inspection checklist. "Air conditioning is not a requirement."

He explained that heating and proper ventilation are required, but an operable window satisfies the ventilation requirement.

Green said residents should inspect rental units before signing a lease, checking items such as plumbing, insulation around air conditioning lines and other basic maintenance issues. He also encouraged tenants to review federal housing standards before moving into a unit.

“I believe that the government should get involved in the inspections of these properties as well. So, since they are giving money for a lot of these tenants, then they shouldn't have to rely or they shouldn't be depending on the city to do all of their legwork for them,” Green said.

Council members questioned whether landlords who receive federal housing assistance or tax incentives should face greater oversight if they repeatedly fail to maintain their properties.

Councilman Grayson Boucher suggested creating a reporting system that would allow complaints to be shared with the agency overseeing Section 8 housing vouchers, arguing that landlords with repeated violations should risk losing their eligibility to participate in the program.

To assistant city attorney Zelda Tucker, Boucher asked about apartment complex managers that get federal funding, tax credits and grants and "then within a year it’s falling apart and we have all this other kind of stuff.”

Another example is at Mall St. Vincent. Boucher said the Piccadilly restaurant doesn’t have a working air conditioner. The mall’s owner gets a penny sales tax.

“So, who’s holding their feet to the fire to make sure that a mall that we have paying extra taxes on, to go eat at Picadilly, has working heating and air,” Boucher asked.

Taylor agreed those getting taxpayer credits and have properties looking  like “trash” need attention. But tenants need help with direction to the right resources for assistance.

“I wanted to see what we can do as a city and what enforcement mechanisms that we, that we have, to put in place,” Taylor said.

Added Boucher: “I think the biggest thing, though, is Section 8’s got to stop giving these vouchers out for people that are not complying with, you know, I mean, that's a big deal.”

Councilman James Green also asked whether landlords who collect rent but fail to pay utility or sanitation bills that are included in the rent could face criminal charges.

Tucker said tenants may have civil remedies through the courts, while potential criminal violations would have to be investigated by either the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office or the district attorney.

"I can't speak on whether or not it's a crime," Tucker said. "They definitely could report it to the district attorney's office, and the district attorney's office will investigate whether or not criminal charges should be brought."

Mayor Tom Arceneaux clarified during the discussion that the Housing Authority of the City of Shreveport is an independent agency and not a city department.

Tucker was asked to provide the council with a summary of the city's rental registry ordinance and its enforcement provisions at a future meeting. The city's legal department also plans to research whether additional enforcement options exist for properties receiving tax credits or grants.

Terrence Green also reminded council members that city inspectors cannot enter occupied rental units to conduct interior inspections unless tenants first submit a sworn affidavit detailing the problems and the efforts they have made to have the landlord address them.