Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Community advocates and concerned residents gathered at Niagara Square on Wednesday to call on the Buffalo Common Council to request a clear implementation plan for the Proactive Rental Inspections (PRI) law from the Department of Permit & Inspection Services (DPIS) prior to passing the 2024-2025 budget.
PRI requires DPIS to make regular inspections of non-owner occupied single and double rental units, and requires landlords to earn Certificates of Rental Compliance every three years. Among other health and safety benefits, the law aimed to reduce childhood lead poisoning, which remains a critical threat to children under the age of 6 living in the city.
Amid public pressure, the Administration has included new housing inspector positions in the proposed budget. The Common Council also doubled the rental registry fees paid by landlords to help fund PRI.
"With new funding in the budget from increased rental registry fees, we demand that the mayor and commissioner work with our communities to implement the law quickly and equitably, and forcefully in order to achieve the goal of 6,000 inspections per-year that was originally laid out for PRI back in 2020 when the law was passed by the Common Council," said Dawn Wells-Clyburn, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo.
Council members in attendance at Wednesday's rally included University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt and Niagara District Councilman David Rivera.
As of the DPIS’s most recent report to the Common Council in March 2024, the department had only inspected 4,827 units, meaning 87% of the 36,000 units covered under PRI have not undergone inspection. In addition to lead hazards, PRI inspection also includes other essential checks for fire safety, functioning utilities and other health-harming conditions such as mold, asbestos and rodents.
"I spoke to a woman who was in a house that she's paying $1,100 a month, and it's a, as I'm gonna say, 'Rat Shack'. This woman is paying this, and she's afraid to say anything because she feels as though the landlord is going to evict her. This should not be happening in our city," said Councilman Wyatt on Wednesday. "We know we're the third poorest city of our size, so whatever we can do to lessen the burden on people who are already challenged with maybe lack of employment, maybe a children's situation, we should be helping them at every turn. This PRI could be that game changer to really level the playing field to make sure landlords are held accountable, that you just don't get $1,100 because you're giving me a shack, you get $1,100 because it's appropriate."
The community coalition supporting this effort seeks a full, written implementation plan from the DPIS that includes:
- A clear timeline for implementation, including:
o Benchmarks for the hiring process;
o When landlords will be notified about these mandatory inspections;
o Which neighborhoods will be targeted for proactive inspections and when.
- A commitment to quarterly reports to the Common Council on the progress of the PRI program.
- Goals for the number of inspections to be carried out this year and in coming years.
- Mandatory community health worker training for new inspectors and a priority on hiring local inspectors, ideally with city residency.
"We're happy to see funding for additional inspector positions in this year's budget, but it's imperative there is follow through," said Steven Haagsma, education manager at Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME). "Landlords should not be allowed to profit from providing unsafe housing, while tenants must suffer the consequences. Tenants should have some amount of competence that a home for rent has passed a basic inspection, and that renting that home will not endanger themselves and their children. And PRI is an important tool to make this a reality."
Heart of the City Neighborhoods , a non-profit that creates, facilitates and supports housing and neighborhood development in Buffalo, alongside dozens of other local organizations, has backed the effort to compel the city to implement PRI from its outset.
Following the news conference, advocates filed in to City Hall to attend the public hearing on the budget and place on record their demands to the Common Council, to support the Council’s push for funding in the 2024-2025 budget.
"It's in the budget, we just want to make sure they implement, they hire the inspectors, get them certified, get them trained, and get them out there inspecting the homes," said Councilman Rivera in an interview with WBEN. "We have an older housing stock, and we have unscrupulous people who take advantage of other people. And we want to make sure they're held accountable by the city with regards to inspections and fines."
Rivera adds he's hopeful there's enough support for PRI amongst the other Council members. He feels there should be the support for PRI, coupled with a reduce on the tax increase of 9% for residents across the city.
"Yes, there'll be an increase, but it should be less than 9%. So that means they have to cut in other areas. [The Brown Administration has] to find where they can cut," Rivera said. "I'm sure there's places they can cut, they know where, perhaps, lines are padded. It is always a tough budget, but I certainly will support a budget that reduces the tax burden on the taxpayers."
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