Dallas says his rentals are crime havens, but can he be forced to make repairs, security upgrades?

The outlines of a figure shrouded in darkness dragged the body down the stairwell of a decrepit South Dallas apartment building and dumped it among old tires and other trash in a dumpster.

The Nov. 2 murder was a grim example of the violence and danger that 2906 Holmes Street had brought to the community, city officials said. Some months earlier, FBI agents raided the building and two other high-crime rental properties in South Dallas, making multiple drug-related arrests.

Federal authorities said the apartments had become havens for drug dealers and spawned numerous other crimes such as prostitution, robberies, shootings, assaults and murder. Dallas city officials say the owner, Stewart McCray, refuses to clean them up, make repairs or provide proper security.

The city has two ongoing lawsuits against him – one filed in 2018 and another filed earlier this year – in which it’s asking a judge to force him into action.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/12/29/dallas-says-his-rentals-are-crime-havens-but-can-he-be-forced-to-make-repairs-security-upgrades/

No breaks for slumlords. Attempting to rationalize not making necessary improvements because it will force the owner (with a net worth over $10 million) to raise the rent isn't an excuse.

At what point do we begin confiscating property from slumlords who refuse to address property upkeep issues, particularly when the owners have the financial means to maintain the property?