The Houston City Council unanimously approved a new inspection program targeting apartment complexes with repeated complaints and code violations.
HOUSTON — The Houston City Council has unanimously approved a new program aimed at cracking down on some of the city’s most troubled apartment complexes. The effort targets ongoing safety and living condition complaints, including mold, broken fire alarms and plumbing problems.
The newly approved “High-Risk Apartment Inspection Program” comes after more than a year of reporting and discussion about deteriorating conditions at some Houston apartment properties.
The goal of the program is to identify apartment complexes with repeated issues and require faster inspections and repairs.
Under the plan, multi-family apartment complexes with three or more units could be labeled “high risk” based on repeated 3-1-1 complaints and city code violations.
Apartment properties could qualify for the registry if they receive 10 or more citations within a six-month period.
Complexes placed on the registry would be required to undergo inspections within 30 days.
Property owners would then have a set amount of time to correct violations identified during those inspections.
City leaders said the program is designed to improve conditions at apartment complexes dealing with long-standing problems involving health and safety concerns.
Property owners who fail to comply with the new rules could face daily fines ranging from $250 to $2,000 per violation.
The program now moves forward following the City Council’s unanimous vote on Wednesday afternoon.
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