800 renters ordered out

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 | 7:17 a.m.

In what federal housing officials called the biggest enforcement action of its kind ever carried out in the Las Vegas Valley, more than 200 apartments will be shut down because of unsafe living conditions and up to 800 tenants will be moved during the next two months.

The Buena Vista Springs apartments on Morton Avenue in North Las Vegas failed inspections five times in the past four years for problems that included holes in roofs, bad plumbing, exposed wires, faulty smoke alarms and a lack of security, officials said Monday.

"This is the boldest, harshest step with a housing project owner that we've ever taken in Las Vegas," said Kenneth LoBene, Las Vegas director for the Housing and Urban Development Department.

The agency paid the owner, a Florida-based firm called Creative Choice West, $212,000 monthly in subsidies for low-income tenants in 233 of the complex's 272 apartments.

The agency told the owner June 29 it was ending the subsidies after the company failed inspections twice four years ago and then three times again in the past year. In the most recent inspection, in May, the apartments scored 44 of a possible 100.

Larry Bush, HUD spokesman, said the owner had not been responsible with the property. "Neither the tenants nor the taxpayers should put up with this," he said.

Tenants on Monday began applying with the Clark County Housing Authority for Section 8 vouchers, which help pay for rent if landlords accept them. That process could take 60 days, or more if extensions are needed, said Nancy Wesoff, agency executive director.

The question is whether all the tenants will be eligible for Section 8. Those who aren't might get help paying for moving, Wesoff said. LoBene said that his agency might have up to $1 million available for help with moving costs and that his agency is looking into whether civil penalties can be assessed against the property owner.

Also unclear is whether all tenants will be able to find landlords who accept the vouchers. Wesoff said 80 percent usually do.

Her agency will bus Buena Vista tenants to the housing authority for help applying for the vouchers, in what she called "the largest relocation project that we've had to be involved in."

"This whole situation could have been avoided had the landlord taken care of the property," she said.