There are few Fresno slumlords

Regarding Fresno housing: I have been in the property management industry for over 30 years. I feel it is safe to say over-generalization is rarely helpful in understanding or solving problems. Yes, there are a few slum landlords in Fresno, but we should not make overly broad judgments that ignore the fact that most property owners are good, hard-working and productive members of this community.

Instead of implementing over-reaching rental requirements that will have unintended, unnecessary and adverse consequences, the city should focus on the actual problem by simply making it too risky and costly to be an irresponsible landlord: impose timely and substantial penalties and fines on that small percent of owners who choose to rent out substandard housing as a way of business.

Equally important, tenants need training on how to properly maintain their rental units, the importance of following the terms of their lease, and their role in maintaining safe and healthy communities. Landlords and tenants need to work together because they need each other.

In trying to make things better, the city should not implement a program affecting all to address a problem created by only a few.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 2:13 PM with the headline "There are few Fresno slumlords."