ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601240047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
NOTE: Above
One of Roanoke's leading advocates for low-income residents says establishing a rental-inspection program should become a priority for city officials.
``How many tragedies have to happen ... until [city officials] are convinced?'' Ted Edlich said Tuesday when asked about the city's inspection of rental units.
The criticism from Edlich, executive director of Total Action Against Poverty, came three days after five members of a Southeast Roanoke family died in a fire caused by an electrical heater plugged into an extension cord.
Investigators found several housing and zoning code violations in the three apartments the family rented - including the absence of smoke detectors.
An inspector can check for code violations only at the request of a tenant or landlord. Under a rental-inspection proposal the city is considering, vacant apartments would have to be inspected before they could be rented again.
``We're trying to come up with the best possible policy,'' said Assistant City Manager James Ritchie. ``We hope it won't be an extreme length of time until we come out with recommendations for City Council.''
But exactly how the program would be implemented remains a question. And it is doubtful whether the three current inspectors would be adequate to survey the city.
Out of nearly 18,000 rental units in Roanoke, an estimated 800 are in substandard condition, according to Dan Pollack, Roanoke's housing development coordinator. A substandard residence is one with serious building code violations and is in jeopardy of being condemned.
City Councilman Jack Parrott said council members are waiting on information from the city manager's office on the inspection program. It will become a top priority when all the issues are worked out, he said.
For example, Parrott said, ``What is it that prevents us from enforcing the current codes? ... If [people] don't have to comply with the law we've already got, they're not going to comply with any additional laws.''
Roanoke officials have looked to cities with successful rental inspection programs. Lynchburg, for example, has motivated landlords in its poorest neighborhoods to make long-needed repairs.
Much as Lynchburg officials did at first, Roanoke leaders already are hearing criticism.
Seventy Roanoke landlords joined together last summer, after the city held a workshop on inspection programs, to oppose stricter regulations. At a housing conference at the Salem Civic Center in November, landlords contended that property taxes, rental fees and homelessness would rise if regulations were toughened.
Within a month, Pollack hopes to have an outline for a public hearing. He said tenants - ``the silent constituency'' - are the most difficult group to reach.
``[Tenants] are on this,'' he said, adding he often relies on the perspective of people who work with renters.
The success of any rental inspection plan will still rely on the vigilance of tenants, landlords and neighbors. Pollack said the city is looking into alternatives, including working with utility companies, which could report when an apartment becomes vacant.
Since Saturday's fire, Pollack said, more residents have been calling to ask about code violations. ``There's no excuse for there to be anybody living in a unit without a smoke detector,'' he said. ``You can pick one up for $7 or $8. You can put one in in 10 minutes. Consider the stakes if you don't.''
Renters who suspect a code violation can call the city Building Department at 853-1208.
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