Editorial: High price to pay for low rents

Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005 | 8:05 a.m.

Homeless people in Las Vegas are encouraged by government officials, nonprofit social agencies and individual volunteers on the streets to move into low-rent apartments or motel rooms as the first step toward rehabilitating their lives. The advice makes sense, on first thought.

On second thought, it's debatable whether many of their new lodgings are any better than the shelter they found when homeless.

Decrepit low-rent apartments and motels are plentiful in Las Vegas because slumlords -- many of whom are out-of-state investors -- know they can get away with bypassing upkeep.

The city of Las Vegas has one building-code inspector for about 60,000 rental units. Not fearing strict enforcement of codes, slumlords, more interested in the rising value of their land, don't care too much if their buildings deteriorate. An inspection at one skid-row motel last week found many deficiencies, including lack of heat in some units.

So overwhelmed is the lone inspector that he has no time for random checks; he responds only to complaints. And the inspector, Jim Shadrick, says tenants are often reluctant to complain about their living conditions, fearing that they will be "put out onto the street." The result is hundreds, likely thousands, of Las Vegas residents living in conditions threatening their health and safety.

The situation is especially critical in downtown Las Vegas, which has been the focus of Mayor Oscar Goodman's administration. While downtown has certainly improved under the mayor's watch, many of the older rental units remain deplorable. Asked which ones would have trouble passing inspection, Shadrick responded, "All of them."

City officials say some relief may be available by next July. A new city program that assesses fees to owners of rental properties might have raised enough revenue by then to pay for more inspectors. With more inspectors, the city could pro-actively inspect rental units, rather than wait for complaints.

With the need so urgent, however, we believe the city cannot wait. It should begin adding qualified inspectors now, even if it means trimming some positions that are not as essential.