I personally experienced a situation where my family lived in a hazardous home owned by FirstKey Homes. Despite unrelenting pleas, all maintenance requests were dismissed. It was not until the direct involvement of the health department that one request was addressed. This experience exposed me to the reality of unchecked and disgraceful practices by some property management companies. This has to change.

National property management companies, like FirstKey Homes, Main Street Renewal, Progress Residential, and others, must be required to perform and pass routine inspections on all homes under their purview. If a property fails the inspection, it should trigger a penalty for the company. Any attempt to lease a home with hidden or known code violations must not only be strictly prohibited but harshly penalized.

Even though safety codes exist, there is a lack of compulsory inspections and enforcement for rental properties. According to the American Housing Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, a significant percentage (approximately 18% in 2015) of rentals have at least one severe or moderate physical problem. This undoubtedly puts renters in potentially dangerous situations, much like my own experience.

This petition demands that legislators pay attention to this issue and enact laws to ensure companies uphold their responsibilities. We, the tenants, deserve safe and maintained homes. Please sign this petition and join us in advocating for better regulation of national property management companies.