Oregon daily emerald., May 15, 1981, Page 12, Image 11

Renter flees decrepit safety codes
Horton legally refuses to repair
By RICHARD WAGONER
Of the Emerald
Steve Parker is a victim of
fright flight.
It’s not a well-known afflic
tion, but it victimizes many
Eugene-area tenants.
Parker, like many renters, felt
threatened because the securi
ty at his Alder Street home was
so poor. The University student
believed his door lock was in
adequate, and the door’s con
dition was so poor that it could
be kicked down in a matter of
seconds.
Eugene police officers who
checked Parker's door and
home during a security check
agreed.
Parker complained to the
building’s owner, Lane County
District Attorney Pat Horton,
and found he had no legal
ground to force his landlord to
upgrade the building.
“I got a hold of the landlord
(Horton), and he said if I didn’t
like it I could pack my bags and
go out the door,” Parker says.
And that's just what he did.
“I call it fright flight,” Parker
says. “It’s moving from com
munities because you can’t feel
safe there.”
Parker says he could stand on
his back porch and see five
buildings that have been burg
larized since he moved there.
With crime so prevalent and
"unsafe” doors and locks, he
feared staying put.
Parker is angry at having to
move, but he says he doesn’t
blame Horton for not upgrading
the building. The house meets
the city’s building code, and it
provides the necessary
“essential" services required by
state law.
“The irony is that it’s not Pat
Horton’s fault. He’s just follow
ing the letter of the law," Parker
says.
The letter of the law that
seemingly allows for rental
homes and apartments that may
be broken into in seconds is
state Law 91.770 — the Land
lord Tenant Act.
The law requires all landlords
to provide a dwelling that is
habitable at all times, and that
the electricity, heating, plumb
ing and other "essential”
services be maintained in the
condition required by ap
plicable codes at the times of
installation.
According to the OSPIRG
Renter’s Handbook available at
the University Off-Campus
Housing Office, this means a
dwelling must have:
— Weather and waterproof
exterior, roof, walls, doors and
windows.
— Plumbing facilities that
comply with applicable law and
are maintained in good working
order.
— Adequate and approved
heating facilities, maintained in
good working order.
— A water supply, approved
by applicable law, that provides
hot and cold running water, has
proper fixtures, and is properly
connected to a sewage system.
— Electric lighting, wiring
and equipment, approved and
maintained in good working
order.
— Clean and sanitary build
ings and grounds, free from
accumulation of debris, filth,
rubbish, garbage, rodents and
vermin.
— Adequate garbage recep
tacles.
— Floors, walls, ceilings,
stairs and railings maintained in
good repair
— Safety from fire.
— Working locks for all out
side doors, and keys to locks
that require keys.
Parker's problem developed
because the law doesn't define
what a door or a “working'' lock
is.
“Renters and landlords can't
come to a conclusion on what a
door is,” Parker complains. “I
paid $230 a month for a building
that has a door that police said
wouldn’t stand up to 15 seconds
of force.”
Parker is one of several
Eugene residents who are
calling for a city ordinance to
require deadbolt locks and solid
doors on all rental units. It’s not
a new idea, but it’s one that has
met with opposition from land
lords, businessmen and some
city officials.
Eugene city councilor Mark
Lindberg strongly supports
renters rights. But Lindberg
says the city’s political climate
isn't right yet for an ordinance
Continued on Page 13
Photo by Steve Dykes
The washing machine is in disrepair in Horton's building.
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