Overview
- The proposal would create a High Risk Rental Buildings registry that uses 311 complaint volumes and habitability citations to identify properties, publicly listing only the five worst complexes at a time.
- Eligible properties would be those with the highest 311 complaint counts over six months and at least 10 health and safety citations.
- Registered complexes would face additional inspections and daily fines ranging from $250 to $2,000, with removal possible if violations are fixed within six months or if units are vacated.
- Tenant advocates criticized the narrowed scope as too weak, while the Houston Apartment Association argued the draft is inequitable across property sizes and questioned reliance on 311 data.
- City Attorney Arturo Michel and Mayor John Whitmire raised enforceability and appeals concerns, and sponsor Letitia Plummer, who plans to resign to run for Harris County judge, warned the measure could be watered down as it returns to the administration.