Renters in Arkansas seem to be a low priority for state government officials. Tenants have few protections and landlords enjoy lax rules. The state lacks a strong, effective set of standards for rental properties.
In Little Rock, though, city officials have taken note of the many people who have spoken out about poor living conditions — particularly renters at Big Country Chateau — and some are looking to make changes.
The Little Rock Board of Directors gathered Tuesday evening to set their agenda for a Nov. 7 meeting, and afterward they discussed ways they could help renters in the city.
Though officials previously said they would invite entities from different sides of the issues — both landlord associations and renters’ rights groups — only folks from the latter showed up for the talk on Tuesday.
Brian Cantino, the city’s assistant director of housing and neighborhood programs kicked off the conversation with a rundown of the existing practices for rental inspections. In short, five code enforcement officers are responsible for checking on about 50,000 registered rentals in Little Rock. The department has a goal to inspect 20% of all units annually, Cantino said, and the team has completed about 2,210 inspections this year — far fewer than the target.
A number of city directors, including Antwan Phillips, said they supported allocating funds for more code officers to get systematic inspections in place. Cantino predicted he would need at least seven officers on board to get a system in place.
(It’s budget season, and the board is currently in the midst of planning for 2024. On Wednesday morning, city directors began meeting with various departments heads to discuss the upcoming budget. At the time this post was published, the working session had been going for about six hours; the meeting is being streamed here.)
Violations at different severity levels are noted during inspections, Cantino told the board. If life safety violations are found — things like exposed wiring and mold — the code officers cite property managers and offer a seven-day window to fix the issues. If non-life safety violations are found — cracked windows, holes in walls, etc. — the code officers go through the same citation process, but owners have 30 days to remedy the issues identified. If the problems aren’t solved, the city can sue the property owners in environmental court, Cantino said.
The options for remedies are limited, Cantino said. Phillips asked that Cantino note other possible actions, besides suing, that would be helpful going forward.
Crystal Alexander-Berry of Arkansas Community Organizations, a local group that works directly with tenants, said she’s lived in bad housing conditions herself but made it out. That’s not always the case, she said.
Neal Sealy, an organizer with Arkansas Community Organizations, echoed the need for a more robust inspection team. He provided a list of recommendations for city officials to help tenants. The list included enacting policies that require landlords to indicate if they provide subsidized housing when they obtain business licenses, setting up a tenant assistance resource hub on the city’s website, and collaborating with community groups to establish land trusts.
A land trust, Sealy explained, would allow the city to hold land for conservation purposes or to save it for development later. It would be ideal for affordable housing, Sealy said. He recommended officials seek out land near areas that are being gentrified.
Other recommendations included using tax proposals to support affordable housing and advocating for a “warranty of habitability” law.
Director Ken Richardson spoke to the connection between substandard housing and crime.
“We say, every year, our number one priority is public safety,” Richardson said. “I’ve said it to the tune of a broken record: Public safety is bigger than more police officers. We can’t police our way out of these issues. … When I did gang intervention work, the places where we saw the heaviest gang activity and the most crime were places where we saw the weakest sense of community.”