From: Christopher Rutan
Columbus
Lately, all around the state of Indiana, housing has been scarce for low-income families. Every day, individuals become homeless or are forced to couch surf with family members until they find another place to live. The affordable housing issue becomes worse every day, especially in Bartholomew County, due to lack of affordable housing and corporate landlords.
One thing many people fear is landlord retaliation. While this should be illegal, the landlords find a way to get around this in the local courts. If damages are seen during a random inspection, then that is one situation, but to throw someone out because of a maintenance request is downright dirty politics.
The tenant-landlord statue says that every property should have a secure environment for each family or individual to live in. Landlords are responsible for providing a working water heater, some form of heat during the winter and adequate plumbing. However, when someone complains about these issues, some landlords develop an attitude toward the tenants which later results in an eviction.
On Jan. 29, I drove to the Indiana Statehouse to meet with several members of the Legislature. Hoosier Action, Bartholomew County Chapter, had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Ryan Lauer, Sen. Greg Walker, and a few of the legislative assistants. We explained to everyone we met the housing crisis in Bartholomew County and specifically a bill was needed to protect tenants from angry landlords.
Unfortunately, Senate Bill 277, written by Bartholomew County’s own Greg Walker, failed to take traction and died before it was heard. SB 277 would have created escrow accounts for all tenants/landlords. Having an escrow account could’ve allowed a tenant to force the landlord to fix their property by paying rent to the court, essentially having it held until repairs are made. These examples could have been heating, plumbing, or mold. SB 277 would’ve also required out-of-state landlords to have an employee in Indiana to address the issues of unaccountable out-of-state corporate landlords.
Hoosier Action created a petition online, and in person, and had more than 140 Hoosiers across 27 towns in support of this bill. However, the bill was assigned to Sen. Jim Buck’s committee and was dead on arrival. It is time we stand up and demand a change for ourselves and every fellow Hoosier in the state of Indiana.
If you care about your fellow neighbors or constituents, please call your representative or senator and let them know how you feel. We are the eyes, ears, and most importantly, voters on who makes our decisions on a local and state level. The next step is yours!
