A new city program holds apartment managers accountable for unresolved code violations
SAN ANTONIO - From roaches crawling on sleeping babies, to rodents eating food from kitchen cabinets and counters, our Problem Solver has covered many code violations plaguing Fox San Antonio renters.
Now a new city program is holding apartment managers accountable. Fox San Antonio's Darian Trotter explains how unaddressed code violations could now cost property managers thousands of dollars.
"The whole floor was flooded," said Tiela Moses. "Everything."
Tiela Moses recorded video, documenting just how much water flooded her apartment; covering her floor and soaking furniture. And it didn't happen just once.
"I even reached out to the corporate office but they ignored me and pushed me to the side," Moses said.
It's problems like this that has the City of San Antonio taking action.
"It's wrong on any level for anybody to have to live in such unsafe conditions," Moses said.
City leaders want to put an end to the roach infestations the Problem Solver has reported on, the rodents, and the sewage back-ups to name a few. The new Proactive Apartment Inspections Program targets property managers who allow code violations to go unchecked.
"If you get three citations within a six month period, that's too many," said Michael Shannon.
Director Michael Shannon with Code Enforcement says the program applies to apartment managers with at least five apartment units citied for unresolved code violations.
"In apartments, there's multiple units and when it goes bad it can be really unsafe for a lot of families, a lot of people," said Shannon.
Apartment complexes that get three citations or more within a six month period will now be fined $100 for every apartment in the complex. That means a complex with 200 apartments would be forced to pay $20,000 a year.
"For those that don't take this seriously, we think this will improve the safety standards for the tenants, their living conditions," said Shannon.
Once in the program, properties are subject to pop-up inspections by code enforcement officers searching for violations.
"There's a way to graduate out of the program," Shannon said.
In order to get out of the program, apartment complexes must pass unscheduled inspections, by timely addressing any new code violations, within the six month probationary period.
"We have a minimum property health and safety standards that we expect anyone who's living in San Antonio to have," Shannon said.
If a complex fails, it will remain in the program. That property would be on probation 4 years. That's 4 years of unscheduled pop-up inspections from Code Enforcement Officers.
The City of San Antonio approved funding and hired extra officers to do those inspections.
To report code violations where you live dial 311.