City program streamlines repairs to rental homes

A new city program in Rock Hill is helping expedite home repairs for rentals, including Charlene Gorski, whose house was damaged by storms in the past few months.

Debby soaks the Carolinas

A hailstorm in April damaged her roof, and her landlord threw a tarp over it.

More recently, part of her kitchen caved in from the rain brought on by Tropical Storm Debby.

“I was just waiting to hear but when the ceiling caved in, it actually became an emergency,” she said.

Gorski said the tarp on top of her house didn’t help last week when Debby blew through and now she can’t use her kitchen after sheet rock fell into it.

However, Gorski noticed her neighbors’ homes were being repaired.

“I see other roofs getting done. I wonder what the holdup is,” she said.

Gorski called the city of Rock Hill last week to complain and leaders responded by inspecting the property.

“We noticed a piece of sheet rock had fallen due to some roof damage,” said Trey Parrish, a code official with the city.

Parrish said the city issued violations and sent a letter this week asking the homeowner to fix the problem within 30 days. City officials said a new rental registration and inspection program allows them to inspect rental properties proactively.

The program created safer rentals, Parrish said.

“The proactive approach has cut back on the number of complaints we’ve seen,” said Parrish.

Tenants can call the city to complain if they notice problems while in the middle of their lease, which is a process Gorski hopes will provide relief soon.

“I know it’s an old house, but at least fix the ceiling, so I can live here,” Gorski said.

Channel 9 called the property management company, Albright Realty.

Officials said they are waiting for the homeowner to get approval to replace this roof through insurance.

If you have a rental issue that you want city inspectors to investigate, call the city’s inspection line at 803-325-2600.