Opinion: Walking a tightrope between affordable and unsafe housing

Last week, a local motel owner told guests there would be no housekeeping because they didn’t have enough staff due to the local housing shortage. However, the issue is fast becoming not only one of supply, but also one of quality. Many homes that fit the "local's" price range are older buildings - built in the 1970s or earlier. Just like our roads, some of these older buildings are in a state of disrepair and as we know with our roads, patchwork repairs only last so long.

The City and other community groups are working towards solutions to address this situation. They want to ensure landlords maintain their property in a livable condition and help remove tenants from potentially dangerous situations when landlords don’t do what is right. But it can be a tightrope walk in a community with no safety net for those who must move out during repairs or find their current living space condemned and need new places to live.

What are the Issues?

Many issues come into play in older homes and apartments. Some have old, faulty wiring, which can short-circuit and start fires. Last year, the City made the tough decision to board up the 6-unit apartment building on Spruce due to breached fire walls. Although it was heart-breaking to require people to move right before Christmas, a preventable tragedy would have been much worse.

Another common concern is snow load and water damage. A one-time leak is not a big deal, but constant leaking over time leads to structural issues, as well as mold and pest infestations.

A Critical Situation

This problem is perfectly exemplified at 1224 Ski Run Blvd (Bart's Tahoe Apartments). In 16 years, this building has never fully passed the City's multifamily dwelling inspection process. There are significant signs of foundation damage, structurally deficient balconies and walls, extensive mold and water damage and it is at such fire risk that it is on fire watch. This means that someone is required to be on 24-hour patrol to keep tenants safe.

The City has tried to work with the owners to rectify the issues, but a final inspection in March showed the problems had not been addressed, and little effort by the property owner to really fix what needs to be fixed. The case was turned over to the City Attorney to evaluate next steps, which include petitioning the court to appoint a receiver to make the repairs. At a July hearing, however, the issues still hadn't been resolved. In the meantime, the owners continue to advertise new rooms on craigslist for higher and higher prices as concerned tenants move out.

While we support landlords maintaining and upgrading their units, and we applaud the City on its efforts to encourage this, there can be a downside. The owners at SunGarden East Apartments on Blackwood, for example, did extensive upgrades to their exterior, which look great. Now, in order to remodel the interior, however, they have legally given several tenants 60 days notice to evict. The problem is with so few housing options available right now, these tenants have nowhere to go. And, if they want to return post remodel, the rents will be higher and perhaps out of reach.

The reality is that many people here cannot afford the average going rates of $1,200-1,500 for 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in the South Shore. Substandard places usually charge less than $1,000 for the same size. So families choose to stay despite the risks. However, everyone should be able to find secure and affordable housing -- without compromising their families' health and safety.

Mobile Home Park

One area where the city does not have jurisdiction is in mobile home parks. They are covered by state regulations. We now have an issue at Heavenly Valley Mobile Estates. The owners have given several families 60 day notices to leave. Although these families own their mobile home and the homes are still nice and usable, moving the home would be difficult and expensive and could undermine the structural integrity. Thus the family ends up with little choice but to leave the home behind. In this way, the owners not only acquire an open space to rent but also the "free" mobile home as well. Is this technically legal? Yes. Is it unseemly?
Absolutely.

Next Steps

When the six-unit building on Spruce closed last December, the community came together with inspiration and resiliency to find housing for those six families before Christmas. When more than 200 families lost their homes in the Angora Fire, our community came together. Now the Family Resource Center and other community groups are helping tenants deal with these and other challenging housing situations. But unfortunately, housing is tight now and people's time and resources are limited.

If you own property - whether it be an apartment, single-family home or an official SRO motel room - and might be willing to offer your services, please contact the FRC at (530) 542-0740 or Tahoe Home Connection at (530) 208-9920.

In the meantime, we as a community need to face the reality of our aging apartment buildings and absentee landlords and consider what else can be done to help incentivize property owners to upgrade apartments without pricing the current tenants out of the unit.

Please fill out the South Shore Housing Survey at: www.bit.ly/tahoesouth and encourage your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues to do the same. Stay up to date on these issues at: https://tahoeprosperity.org/housing-study/