San Antonio City Council enacts new program aimed at punishing bad landlords

Following tenant protests last summer, the San Antonio City Council voted 10-0 Thursday in favor of implementing a new inspection program aimed at catching and punishing bad landlords.

Under the rule change, complexes that receive three safety code violations within a six-month period will automatically be enrolled in the so-called “bad actor” apartment inspection program. City officials will inspect 5% of the apartments at those complexes for at least six months to ensure that safety violations are fixed.

What’s more, the new program and the additional inspections won’t cost city taxpayers a dime, according to city officials. The bad actor program will be funded by fines — $100 per unit, annually — levied against the apartment owners.

City officials estimate that the program, set to begin on April 2, could generate around $300,000 annually.

The implementation of bad actor apartment inspection program comes months after tenants from the Seven Oaks Apartment Complex in Northwest San Antonio joined forces with the Texas Organizing Project to draw attention to what residents said were “dangerous” living conditions.

It’s not immediately clear whether that complex would fall under the rules qualifying it for the city’s new “bad actor” inspection program.

The fight between the city and tenants reached a fever pitch when organizers protested in the lobby of San Antonio City Hall in July 2022, demanding a meeting with Mayor Ron Nirenberg. The mayor declined, and TOP housing justice organizer Ashton Condel was threatened with arrest if he didn’t vacate the building.

Former Seven Oaks Tennant Sylvia Flores told Axios San Antonio that if the tenants from Seven Oaks didn’t protest, the action taken by City Council on Thursday probably would have never happened.

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.