Living with snakes invading a home is not part of a rental agreement Oklahomans make with landlords. Sadly, it's going to take state laws to get that point across.
A story from reporter Tim Stanley outlined the poor and sometimes dangerous conditions Afghan evacuees are living with in Tulsa. A refusal of homeowners to maintain properties, such as fixing air conditioning or getting rid of pests like snakes, are among the problems.
Another is escalating home and utility prices. Federal coverage of rent and utilities will be running out, and about one in four Tulsa evacuee households are unable to meet the higher housing costs. That means they will need new homes.
It's going to be tough to find other options. A housing shortage for low- to middle-income families in Tulsa has been a problem for years that only worsened in the past two years.
Afghan evacuees — many of whom helped American troops in combat zones — escaped war with few possessions and hoped for a new beginning. They arrived in our country struggling with a new language, culture, schools and trauma. Many are mourning deaths of family members while trying to rebuild their lives. They are vulnerable and are prime targets for derelict landlords.
Sadly, the Afghan refugees are facing what so many under-resourced, marginalized Oklahomans deal with in housing. Renters in our state do not have the legal power or financial resources to stand up to owners who are acting badly.
A legislative interim study held in September found that many renters are evicted after asking for basic repairs to such things as leaking pipes and broken heaters. The Landlord Tenant Act was written in 1978 without anti-retaliation provisions other states adopted, such as preventing landlords from terminating leases or arbitrarily raising rents on tenants who complain.
The Legislature in 2014 forbade local governments from maintaining registries of landlords or properties that consistently violate building or property codes. That prevents renters from having a way to check a potential landlord's or rental's history. This is quite an imbalance of power.
In the state courts, the statute is so unevenly applied that a recent study characterized it as looking like different laws from county to county.
We believe most landlords in our city and state are conscientious people who want to maintain a safe place for renters while also making a profit. Those good landlords would surely want to clear their industry of those who take advantage of defenseless people, including the Tulsa owner who chuckled at the request for snake pest control and suggested using mothballs instead.
Some of our Afghan evacuees are seeing the worst of what our nation and community have to offer. We need to do better by them and also for everyone going up against unscrupulous landlords.
Our Legislature has a chance to make this right in the next session, and we encourage lawmakers to do so.
[Editorial / Tulsa World]
