Pamela Taylor wrote: I also had a Section 8 inspector look over a duplex I wanted to rent on the northside on Plymouth Avenue. The inspector gave it a passing exam and the contract was drawn up and signed. When I moved in, some things that were concealed to me when I looked at it were then revealed. They were some basic things that I had been lied to about, and things that had the inspector done his job, would never have passed. When I complained and put it in writing, I got them to do another inspection because of the INCOMPETENCE in which the first inspector did his job. He was so cocky he even admitted knowing about these things. God works in mysterious yet wonderous ways. That Inspector was FIRED.
[GDL] As in all aspects of life, there are good inspectors and bad inspectors. Good landlords and bad landlords. Good tenants and bad tenants. Pam Taylor hits upon an issue that I and other tenant advocates have long struggled with. Section 8 has its own housing inspectors, separate from the city's inspection division (hey--a budget idea--merge Section 8 inspectors into the regular inspectors!). The Housing Quality Standards (HQS) are very minimal standards, and the practicality of how it plays out is significant. Tenant moves in, like Pam Taylor, after house passes HQS. Tenant realizes that there are fundamental flaws and needed repairs in the unit. Tenant complains, advocate may or may not become involved, and landlord responds "but I just passed HQS." In some cases, that is given additional spin by the landlord as "I just passed a thorough government inspection with flying colors." Tenant's complaints minimized and discounted and, in any dispute before a court, housing court referee or judge (who never visits the property) has the only apparently indifferent account of the property: a flawed HQS inspection. Thus, in my experience, Section 8 HQS inspections are far less credible to me than general City of Minneapolis inspections, and that's unfortunate. To be fair, there is immense pressure on Section 8 inspectors to pass a house for HQS because of the need to get the house into the program and rented out to a tenant, who may desperately need it and who may be calling Section 8 every day to find out if the house is now available (add to that the advocate wanting to know the same thing). That pressure comes from landlords and tenants alike, as neither want to hear that a house apparently ready for move in is not yet up to snuff. Thus, items are often overlooked or passed over that obviously need attention. Gregory Luce St. Paul TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
