Greensboro renters say apartment repairs ignored for months

Rodents, ants, leaks, power outages and suspected black mold have left some Greensboro renters saying their apartments have become unsafe and unlivable while repair requests sat unresolved for months. At one Greensboro apartment complex, Lawanda Boddie-Slack said she moved here with her family just over a year ago for a fresh start, then filed more than 20 complaints as problems piled up.

Boddie-Slack said the problems included electrical failures, air-conditioning outages, plumbing leaks and hot-water trouble, along with signs of black mold under her unit. Other residents described similar conditions, including water leaking through ceilings when it rained.

Tenants do not have to wait on property management to act. Renters can request a housing inspection themselves, and five or more Greensboro residents can also sign a petition for one. The city’s Minimum Housing Code applies to both owner-occupied and tenant-occupied residential dwellings, giving inspectors authority to look at conditions that affect safety and basic livability.

Greensboro leaders also toughened the city’s housing enforcement this spring. On April 22, the Greensboro City Council unanimously approved changes that raised civil penalties for unsafe housing violations from $200 to $500 and added a $100-per-day fine for unresolved violations. Under the new ordinance, an owner must register a property with the city if it racks up more than four violations in a year or two or more in a month.

North Carolina General Statute 42-42 requires landlords to make repairs and keep rental premises fit and habitable, a rule that covers the kinds of problems tenants in Greensboro say they are facing: leaks, mold, heat, power failures, plumbing trouble and pests.

The Greensboro Housing Coalition provides free housing assistance and guidance. City resources list the coalition at 336-691-9521 for people needing help finding rental housing.