THE PUBLIC MIND: DISPLACED TENANT: HOUSING SPECIFICATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR OLDER HOMES

Dear Editor:

Two years ago, I and my young daughter moved to Cape Girardeau. I wanted to finish my education. I located an affordable, lower level apartment within walking distance of the college, an elementary school, and a reputable child care facility. We have lived here for two years. I have paid the rent on time, painted every room, and notified the owner promptly about repairs. Occasionally we had upstairs tenants; I had no complaints. It became our home.

Several months ago, the owner rented the upstairs apartment to five college students who had been evicted from their former residence. The new tenants informed me they were going to renovate the attic to use for both a social/living area and fourth bedroom. They were to do the additional wiring and planned to heat the additional rooms with space heaters. There were no plans for smoke alarms. I became concerned about overcrowding, possible fire hazards, and additional noise problems. Also, the house has one hot water heater, which I pay for on my utility bill. I sent a letter to the owner, stating my concerns. I received no response other than a phone call to clarify the letter contents and a marked increase in noise around 2 and 3 a.m. Oddly enough, the owner's employee informed me the tenants were trying to "force us out" so friends could rent the lower apartment. They succeeded. We will soon be leaving our home.

My question is this: Why are there no minimal housing specifications for older dwellings in this city? It makes no sense to me. For example:

According to local ordinances, new buildings must have smoke alarms; other buildings, many of which house lower income families and are in poor repair, are not required to have them.

Building permits are required to insure safety; for a code violation to occur the inspector must actually see the building being done (without, of course, the permit) to do anything about the violation. The tenants in this house did the building from approximately 8 p.m. until after midnight. In addition, the renovation was done on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. One of the city inspectors informed me they do not work weekends or evenings.

According to city ordinances, only licensed plumbers are legally required to work in older rental units in the city. There are no specifications (in older dwellings) for licensed electrical work. Have you ever heard of a person injured by plumbing that was incorrectly installed?

Is it reasonable to expect seven adults to use one hot water heater?

Is it reasonable to expect the noise of five adults, living in a poorly insulated building with very little padding under a thin carpet over hardwood floors, to be tolerable to other tenants? Shouldn't tenants be assured of some type of noise reduction measures in older houses or buildings as well as new ones?

I was told by a city employee there are no minimal specifications because the city wants to encourage developers. What kind of developers? Many of the houses are unsafe and overcrowded. While I am sure that many owners do provide safe and adequate housing, I also feel many do not. Lower income people, many of whom have families, are being exploited. We need increased housing specifications for older rental units in this city. Lower income people want to be safe, too.

Sincerely,

Pam McCarron

Cape Girardeau