Left Waiting: Inside the City's Rental Inspection Backlog
T.W.A. News Investigates looks at how long rental repairs really take — and where the system stalls.
A T.W.A. News investigation into the city's rental-inspection program found a system working hard to keep up — and too often falling behind the families it is meant to protect.
T.W.A. News Investigates reviewed the inspection process end to end: how complaints come in, how inspectors are assigned, and how long it takes for serious problems — no hot water, broken locks, unsafe wiring — to get fixed once they are reported.
The reporting found that straightforward cases move quickly, but cases that bounce between departments can sit for weeks, leaving tenants to choose between living with the problem and risking a fight with their landlord.
Housing advocates told our team the fix is not mysterious: more inspectors, a single case number a tenant can track, and public reporting on how long repairs actually take.
City officials say improvements to the program are part of the new city plan, including better tracking of open cases. T.W.A. News will check back in six months and report what has changed.
If you have a housing story you think we should look into, contact the T.W.A. News Investigates team through our Contact page. Real questions. Real answers.
