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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — When raw sewage backed into kitchen sinks and bathtubs at the Mont44 apartment complex, residents organized a tenant union. Landing on Albuquerque’s landlord list in June brought no immediate relief. Maintenance crews only returned after a September city inspection of more than 60 units, organized with tenants.
Mont44’s experience shows what is happening behind Albuquerque’s “Out-of-State Lazy Landlords List,” which Mayor Tim Keller’s administration launched in June to identify out-of-state property owners with repeated serious code violations and resident complaints. According to the city, properties land on the list with multiple open violations or at least 10 verified 311 complaints within 12 months. The city said the list is meant to bring public attention to problem properties while using fines and legal action to push owners to address unsafe conditions. Four months later, the Planning Department said none of the 10 properties have been removed. Five face civil enforcement, and five are addressing violations. “When we launched the Lazy Landlord List, we said it wasn’t just about naming names; it was about accountability,” Keller said at a September press conference.
The list, which is not ranked in any particular order, shows the 10 properties now have 21 open violations and 64 corrected. Verified 311 complaints rose from 557 to 612, increasing at four properties and holding steady at the other six. Mont44 at 4401 Montgomery Blvd. NE has the most open violations, with four and it also has the most corrected violations, with 20. Meanwhile, 7303 Montgomery Blvd. NE leads in verified 311 complaints with 124.
The Retreat at Candelaria, at 3100 Jane Place NE, is also listed and was previously reported on by The Paper.’s City Desk after tenants went weeks without air conditioning before inspectors ordered repairs. Katelyn Chavez, a Mont44 resident and tenant union organizer, told The Paper’s City Desk that out-of-state maintenance crews have been working at the property and Code Enforcement has been there daily since the September inspection. She said the sewer lines also appear to be getting repaired. “They’re finally doing something,” Chavez said. But she said she does not believe many of the problems have been resolved. The Mont44 Tenant Union noted by email that some repairs have gone well while others have been “band-aid fixes,” like carpeting over leaky floors.
The city updates the list quarterly, removing properties once all open violations are corrected. A property can come off the list once the city confirms all open violations have been corrected. Residents can also track the city’s Problematic Properties Program, which monitors 15 locations facing serious nuisance issues. “Really, this is about the residents … getting the help that they deserve,” said Tim Walsh, a city Planning Department spokesperson. “I think we all want to see the same outcome, which is them getting taken care of.”