Landlord-tenant bill passes General Assembly, avoids systematic inspections ban; landlords get water submetering
Amidst all the legislation being followed in the General Assembly, one bill that's now passed the state House and Senate has garnered relatively little notice: a new landlord-tenant bill slogged out after deep negotiations between the landlord lobby and groups like the progressive NC Justice Center and ACORN.
Advocates for a systematic rental property inspection program -- the possibility of which had been under threat in early discussions about the bill -- can rest easy. The bill does not include language that would preclude Neighborhood Improvement Services (or similar municipal agencies in other cities) from implementing such a program.
The bill also implements minimum-housing standards, but Durham City already has such standards, so there's no impact there. They will apply in Durham County, however, which previously (according to a BCR source) was not covered by such standards, which require structural integrity, working water and heat, and a rat-free residence, among other basics.
The win for landlords? Water submetering. Landlords will, once the rules phase in and leases roll over, be able to bill back water charges to tenants on properties more than twenty years old.
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