Westminster residents urge council to add rental housing inspectors amid reports of mold, pests and unsafe units

Dozens of tenants and housing advocates urged the Westminster City Council on Jan. 27 to boost staffing for the city's rental housing inspection program, describing persistent mold, infestations, broken appliances and delayed repairs.

Denise Barunda, community organizer for Growing Home, said the nonprofit's rental-assistance work brings many tenant complaints to light. "I'm here to speak on behalf of the housing inspection program," she said, and she described families with asthma and other health problems tied to mold and unsafe conditions.

Mary Ramirez, a manager at Pizza Hut who identified herself as a resident of Westbury Apartments, said she nearly faced eviction after hours were cut and described repeated encounters with poor unit maintenance, including a lack of insulation and old appliances. "This makes my place uncomfortable and unpeaceful," Ramirez said.

Multiple speakers recounted similar problems: flooded ceilings, broken refrigerators, bed bugs, roach infestations, nonworking heat, and unsafe stairways. Carl McGurl, who said he works seven days a week on a fixed income, described winters without a working heater and repeated maintenance requests that went unresolved. "The current process requiring tenants to document the landlord noncompliant and repeatedly following up is not accessible for seniors or those with disabilities," he told the council.

Speakers asked the council to add three full-time rental housing inspectors and to ensure at least one inspector speaks fluent Spanish. Several cited the city's complaint-based model and said it routinely relies on landlord self-certification rather than in-person inspections. "When renters submit maintenance requests, they are often ignored and in some cases are threatened by the property manager," read testimony presented on behalf of a tenant at the Atrium Apartments.

City Manager Jody Andrews responded after public comment, saying staff listens and will follow up with speakers who requested it. "Staff does listen, and any speaker requiring follow-up, our staff will follow-up with you," Andrews said. He told council members staff would prepare a detailed report covering the citywide rental inspection program, inspection practices, statistics and follow-up steps.

Council members thanked speakers and pressed staff for faster remedies and clearer enforcement options. Several councilors asked whether the program should rely less on landlord self-certification and more on city inspections, and some urged consideration of penalties for noncompliant property owners. Mayor Pro Tem and others suggested combining budget changes with other funding sources and community partners to expand outreach and translation services.

What happens next: City staff will compile a report for council on the rental inspection program's staffing, inspection workflow, use of self-certification, language access and enforcement tools. Staff also said it would re-contact United for a New Economy and other organizers who coordinated many of the speakers.

Clarifying details: Tenants and advocates asked specifically for three additional inspectors, including one bilingual Spanish-speaking inspector; speakers described problems at several complexes, including the Atrium, Westbury Apartments, Hidden Lake and Terrace Gardens. Advocates said the complaint-based program often requires tenants to document issues repeatedly and that this process can be inaccessible to seniors, non-English speakers and low-income renters.

Ending: Council members asked staff to speed the follow-up and to return to council with recommendations on staffing, enforcement (including potential fines or sanctions), and language access. Staff said it would provide citywide data and proposed steps as quickly as possible.