No vote on landlord-tenant bill after realtor association declares opposition

The sponsor of a bill aiming to protect Arkansas tenants pulled it down for modification Wednesday morning after a lawyer from the Arkansas Realtors Association declared the group's opposition and several members of both parties indicated they were skeptical of the proposal.

Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-Paragould) said his House Bill 1410 would "seek some balance between the rights of tenants and the rights of landlords" by establishing minimum habitability standards for all residential rental units. The bill has the support of grassroots groups fighting for renter protections.

HB 1410 would require that rental units be waterproof, structurally sound and have working locks, water, plumbing, electricity and venting and heating systems. Units would be required to have a working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector. The landlord would be required to provide air conditioning if he or she had agreed to do so and to provide an outside trash receptacle for apartments if obligated by law or lease.

Arkansas is the only state in the country without such an "implied warranty of habitability" for rental property. "We live in the richest country in the world," Gazaway told the House Insurance and Commerce committee. "These minimum standards ... I do not believe are too much to ask of a landlord in 2019 in the United States of America."

Read more: https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2019/03/06/no-vote-today-on-landlord-tenant-bill-after-realtor-association-declares-opposition

Well bowl me over, a Republican trying to do the right thing.