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Students, tenants press council for tenant-protection ordinance; city attorney urges caution over preemption
Summary
Durham residents, students and tenant advocates urged City Council on Sept. 18 to adopt a housing-code change that would allow rent abatement when units are found to be imminently dangerous; the city attorney cautioned that state law may preempt certain municipal remedies.
Speakers from Riverside High School’s Affordable Housing Club, tenant-advocacy organizations and a Durham resident told the City Council on Sept. 18 to adopt a revision to the housing code that would permit tenants to seek rent abatement when their units are found to be “imminently dangerous” to health or safety.
Proponents described cases of mold, lack of heat, sewage backups and pest infestations. Tenant advocates, legal aid attorneys and student speakers said the change would help rebalance the power between landlords and low-income tenants by enabling more immediate remedies and…
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