The Asheville City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Sept. 8 establishing protections for tenants living in unsafe conditions. The ordinance, dubbed “No Rent for Slumlords,” makes it unlawful for landlords to collect rent on properties that don’t meet the city’s minimum housing standards, including structural issues, fire hazards, access to potable water and more.
As Asheville and more towns around North Carolina including Durham, Charlotte, Pineville and Pittsboro adopt similar rules to protect renters and hold landlords accountable, the Town of Boone is reevaluating its own systems to ensure fair and dignified housing.
Boone’s chapter of the Tempest Collective met Oct. 3 to discuss community-based solutions to issues people see with housing in town. The meeting touched on a possible “No Rent for Slumlords” ordinance as well as the rapid changes to data, tenant rights, legislation and environmental safety the High Country is seeing…