'No More Slumlords' wants to hold negligent landlords to task

For many Fresnans, home is not necessarily a welcoming place. Broken plumbing, toxic mold, rodent infestations, faulty wiring and gas lines – these conditions make homes unsafe and unhealthy, and the blighted state of houses attracts criminal activities. Absentee and negligent landlords are often behind the decay of these properties, while tenants remain powerless to fix them. This is why two Fresno residents founded No More Slumlords, a volunteer-based campaign that investigates and spreads awareness about the slumlord issue in and around Fresno. Recently, the group took their petition and a letter detailing their campaign goals to City Hall. “We have a lot of business practices that take advantage of people that are poor, people that are not educated and don’t know what their rights are. Half of these city-models come into a city like Fresno where city codes are not being upheld and not holding these business owners accountable, and I think that’s the number one reason why slumlords operate in our city.” Read more on The Know.