Bill requiring landlord transparency passes

By Logan Langlois

NASHVILLE, TN — Tenants around Nashville rejoice the passage of bill HB1814 sponsored by Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) in the Senate and Representative Dwayne Thompson (D-Cordova) which will require landlords to provide all tenants or the management companies acting on their behalf with the contact information to report questions, concerns, or statements. TN4SafeHomes organizer Jack Willey said before this bill’s passing, it was only Nashville/Davidson County that required landlords to provide a rental registry which includes information such as their name, phone number, and physical address. Willey said he was frustrated that legislators amended much of the language in the bill that would have guaranteed more transparency from landlords, though he is happy to see the increased transparency for Tennessee renters in general.

Willey said rental registries are especially important to tenants who may be renting from landlords and management companies located out of state. He said out-of-state investment firms have been purchasing large amounts of properties throughout Tennessee over the last couple of years. Willey said many of the tenants in these properties report it to be extremely hard to get into contact with landlords regarding questions, reports, and emergency maintenance.

“Property management always seems in a hurry when it comes to handing out lease violations for damages or posting notices regarding past due balances that aren’t owed, but when we as residents need a repair, emergency or otherwise, it’s met with what seems like irritation and inconvenience.” Nicole Smith, tenant in Shelbyville, said, “We have residents left waiting days, weeks, or months with no AC in the summer or heat in the winter. We have residents with leaks in their ceilings and faulty electrical work. The trash piles up for weeks. The lack of maintenance really begins to create health and safety hazards not just for residents, but the community as well.”

Willey said tenants have found themselves stuck talking to entirely unhelpful management companies and without their concerns answered. He said many emergency maintenance requests go unanswered because the maintenance staff quit regarding pay disputes, and that the landlords had either failed to provide the information for their maintenance provider or have yet to hire one.

“It’s definitely increased quite a bit, especially in low-income, working-class communities,” Willey said. “They’re already nickel and diming us with additional fees and then just providing the bare minimum of services when an issue comes up.”

Willey said renters are often given little choice in choosing these conditions as few vacant homes are generally available around Tennessee. He said many low- and working-class tenants are also struggling to pay the deposits and multitudes of fees associated with moving to a new location. Willey said the lack of communication, ever-increasing housing costs, and sparsely available housing vacancies have led to a lot of tenants finding themselves living with family members far more often. He said many Tennesseans facing possible eviction have to choose either paying their rent or buying necessary medication, food, or child care.

Willey said the combination of a volatile renting and housing market led to Volunteer State renters unable to afford the down deposit for houses they very much want, while others unable to keep up with the ever-increasing bills have found themselves on the street. Willey said to protect and expand renters’ rights in Tennessee, TN4SafeHomes is working with state partners and holding regular meetings for members, information regarding which can be found at tn4safehomes on Instagram and Facebook.