Renters fight back against Bellingham, WA slumlords by creating a "Shit Rental Radar Map"

The map combines crowdsourced data from renters with data imported from the Whatcom County Tax Parcel Viewer website.

The map
* identifies what city ward a property is located in as well as which City Council member oversees that ward

* helps renters find out if their potential new home has mold, inoperable windows, excessively high heat bills, pests, plumbing issues, inoperable smoke detectors, etc.

* identifies landlords who have a history of deposit theft or renter hostility and intimidation

Landlords may redeem themselves only through a process of making necessary repairs and a subsequent clean city inspection.

Transient college students make up about 10% of Bellingham's population.

Rental units exceed 50% of Bellingham homes.

20% of Bellingham residents live in poverty.

Slumlords have found fertile ground to take advantage of renters and fly under the radar.

Rebecca Quirke, head of the advocacy group Tenants Revolt that runs the map, said the goal is to be able to expand this service in other areas, duplicate the tool, and share it with renters all over the country. If you're interested, hit 'em up!
https://shitrentalradar-whatcom-tenantsrevolt.hub.arcgis.com/

#TenantsRights #HousingIsAHumanRight #Slumlords #Bellingham #BellinghamWA #FightBack #USPol #USPolitics #ShitRentalRadar