TAMPA, Fla — There will soon be new tools available to people living in affordable housing.
Now, if you need to file a complaint, you're juggling between who to communicate with — your property manager, Tampa Housing Authority, North Tampa Housing Corporation, Tampa Code Enforcement, Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
There are a lot of different entities. Now DBPR is looking to streamline that process to help residents looking to file a complaint.
"The DBPR is putting out a tool today to assist the residents that live within apartment complexes on who to call, and how and what to say and what to do when they find a problem within a property that is overseen by DBPR," Kimberly Overman, the chair of the board of county commissioners, said.
DBPR said it is working with local, state, and federal agencies to better address tenant concerns at certain nontransient apartment facilities. DBPR recently updated its frequently asked questions page on its site.
They have also made available a document offering Guidance for Tenants.
But this new tool won't help everyone. This announcement comes after the Silver Oaks apartment complex received a failing HUD REAC score in a late May inspection.
The score of 57c* means it falls below what is considered safe living conditions.
"They had fallen from 66 to 57 C, which would indicate that they are unsafe, and the asterisk means they found that there were fire safety alarm systems that were not operating correctly," Overman said.
According to HUD public records, prior to that inspection, on June 18, 2021, the complex received a 66c* score. On March 6, 2020, the complex received a 40c* score.
The Tampa Bay area is currently in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. The tenants at Silver Oaks Apartments will continue to live there, despite their unsafe inspection score.
"For now," Overman said.
Overman has been working with several local entities to better address affordable housing concerns. She said she has put in a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain documentation on Silver Oaks Apartments and its management company, Cambridge Management Inc. The company has multiple properties across the Tampa Bay area.
In between inspections, property managers are not held accountable by HUD or DBPR. As Overman explains, it basically operates on an honor system. Management companies fill out a report of the improvements and projects underway. And HUD trusts they are indeed doing the work they report.
"The property management is now under scrutiny being evaluated for effectiveness, and we anticipate will be a new management company coming in in July," Overman said of Silver Oaks.
It's a flawed system. To better hold property management companies to account, the county is looking to take away the government funding they receive if changes and improvements are not made.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says inspections are increasing after a pause during the pandemic. They say there are many properties waiting to be inspected.
Taking a deeper dive, the type of property will determine how often it gets the Real Estate Assessment Center or REAC inspection. Public Housing, multifamily housing, nursing homes and assisted living get inspected every one to three years.
HUD says those that score high will be inspected less often than others. Apartments that take housing choice vouchers are inspected when you move in, then again every one to two years.
A computer randomly selects buildings and units for inspection, but if you report a problem, it could get checked out in addition to the regular REAC inspection.
To file a complaint directly with HUD, click here.