11-02-2025
Albuquerque lawmaker wants to enforce habitable living condition laws in rental properties
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Renters across Albuquerque have complained that they're living in unsafe conditions and the city has laws on the books requiring landlords to fix the problems, but one city councilor says, those laws aren't being enforced.
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The resolution was introduced by Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn who said issues like no heating, no water, and even black mold aren't getting resolved quickly enough. 'We should make sure that every single person has heating, cooling, running water, hot water, locks that work, be mold-free, rodent free,' said Councilor Fiebelkorn. Those are all the basic functions of a home that property owners under Albuquerque's Uniform Housing Code and state law (UORRA) are supposed to maintain and fix.
But Fielbelkorn said that's not stopping landlords from neglecting their properties. 'The enforcement part is missing and so we hear from folks all the time, that you know, it's winter and I've been without heat two or three weeks and it hasn't been fixed and that's not okay,' said Councilor Fiebelkorn.
The Peoples Housing Project, which tries to help tenants in those situations, said it's far too common. 'It does take a toll on you because oftentimes when these landlords aren't addressing these issues people don't want to live in these conditions so they're using their own money to address it or they're forced to sleep on their friend's couches or find other places to live,' said Lila Nezar, an organizer with the Peoples Housing Project.
Councilor Fiebelkorn is introducing a resolution that would require the city's Planning Department to enhance their code enforcement to hold landlords more accountable. 'Landlords in general do a great job of providing for their tenants but we do have some bad actors and we need to make sure that they are aware that the city of Albuquerque will ensure that you do correct things when they go wrong,' said Fiebelkorn.
If her proposal passes council, there will need to be a full-time code enforcement officer focused solely on these tenant complaints and handle them promptly, prioritizing calls based on the severity. If passed, the resolution would also require a dedicated process outside of 311 for people to report violations.
KRQE News 13 asked the city's planning and zoning department what the proposal would mean for the department. They sent us this statement:
We support and help protect tenants' rights by enforcing the Uniform Housing Code. As far as process, our Code Enforcement Division is driven by complaints received through 311. Once received, calls are prioritized by severity with complaints of threats to life and safety usually being responded to the same day. Currently, our Code Enforcement Inspector team is 90% staffed, and we encourage job seekers to apply. We currently have 19 Code Enforcement Inspectors and 2 vacancies.
Tim Walsh, PIO, CABQ Planning Department
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