When dangerous situations escalate, crime matters

Earlier this year, a Chula Vista rental property manager went to a tenant’s home to address ongoing issues. Police had previously been called to the property. The encounter allegedly turned violent.

The tenant now faces a murder charge in connection with the death of the property manager, Brenda Gillett.

Our community of rental housing providers grieves for Gillett and her family, and there is a sense of solidarity. Many property managers have been in a situation where they felt unsafe. Her death is a sobering reminder that one tenant’s behavior can put housing providers, staff and other residents at risk.

Housing providers are expected to respond to safety concerns, protect neighboring staff and residents and coordinate with law enforcement, yet laws and legal requirements can limit how quickly they are able to act. Removing a tenant who poses a safety risk can take months to resolve or may not happen at all. When safety is at stake, time matters.

The Southern California Rental Housing Association recently surveyed its members to better understand what happens when housing providers encounter threatening or violent behavior at their properties.

The results were eye opening. Nearly 76% of housing providers reported experiencing threats, harassment, intimidation, violence or other actions that created safety concerns. Just as concerning, nearly two-thirds said hostile or threatening tenant behavior has become more common over the past five years.

Most conversations about California’s housing policies focus on affordability, tenant protections and preventing unnecessary evictions. Those conversations often overlook a different reality: sometimes the issue is more than unpaid rent or financial hardship. Sometimes it’s repeated violence, threats or harassment.

And some lawmakers are taking tenant protections in a troubling direction by arguing that landlords should not be able to consider a tenant’s criminal history at all. California already places limits on tenant screening, including application fees and how criminal history may be considered. Recently, state lawmakers have sought to further limit how housing providers can use criminal background checks with a proposal to make “criminal history” a protected characteristic for prospective tenants.

These policies have real implications when problems arise. When someone repeatedly threatens neighbors or creates an unsafe environment, housing providers can face lengthy legal processes before they are able to remove the tenant.

Meanwhile, the consequences are felt throughout the community. Residents may avoid common areas, worry about their safety, file complaints or move because they no longer feel secure. In our survey, 65% of respondents said delays in removing tenants whose behavior created safety concerns resulted in other residents complaining or leaving their communities altogether.

Those concerns are also changing how rental properties operate. Most respondents said safety issues have led them to take additional precautions, including increased security measures and modified office procedures. That costs money, and increased operating costs put upward pressure on rents.

California has worked hard to strengthen tenant protections, but those protections shouldn’t prevent housing providers from responding effectively when someone’s behavior threatens the people around them.

The Chula Vista tragedy may be a wake-up call for most attention to the issue of violence in rental housing. Housing providers shouldn’t have to wait for a dangerous situation to escalate before they have a reasonable path to act.

Alan Pentico is executive director of the Southern California Rental Housing Association.