By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — City councilors and landlords all agree that a handful of “bad actors” are giving landlords citywide a bad image, but a proposal before the city council to increase fines and require faster repairs by the worst offenders faced challenges in it’s first hearing.
The city received more than 2,111 housing code complaints in 2025, but 40% came from just a few owners. In 2025, 148 owners had three or more violations, city data shows. If Councilors approve O-26-24, sponsored by Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers, Stephanie Telles and Joaquín Baca, known as the Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance, those “bad actor” landlords responsible for about 40% of last year’s housing violations would be required to fix up apartments much faster for their tenants. Also in the bill:
- The city can place a lien on the property or seek foreclosure if the landlord doesn’t pay it back within 30 days.
- The ordinance would create a two-tiered enforcement system.
- Tier one would require landlords to fix safety violations within 24 hours or file a repair plan.
- If they miss the deadline, they face a $500 fine, plus an additional $500 daily until they fix the issue.
- Tier two would automatically fine repeat offenders $500 after a third violation in one year.
- If repairs take more than seven days, the landlord will be required to pay to relocate the tenant.
- If the landlord does not move them, the city will step in and relocate the tenant.
During a recent Council Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting, the ordinance drew pushback from Alan LaSeck, executive director of the Apartment Association of New Mexico. LaSeck said he supports the bill because it targets problem properties, but parts of it still need work. He said the 24-hour deadline is too short for landlords to hire contractors and complete complex repairs. He also said the notification process is problematic, pointing to a requirement that considers a notice valid even if a property owner never receives it. Councilor Dan Champine agreed with LaSeck and said the rules are “very loose” and give code enforcement officers too much discretion. He said housing code and state law already give landlords three days to respond to an issue and seven days to start repairs. “It’s not ready for prime time,” Champine said. “The bad actors that are here need to be addressed and they need to be held accountable for, because the other 87 or 97 or whatever percentage it is that are good people… the bad actors are giving these good people a bad name.”
This ordinance is one piece of a legislative puzzle championed by the Council’s progressive bloc to strengthen renter protections. While efforts like the 2025 cooling mandate were a win, recent setbacks and the rejection of tenant fee protections have left enforcement gaps. As Burqueños face neglectful conditions and predatory junk fees, the work continues to hold bad-apple landlords accountable and ensure tenants have safe, habitable housing.
Another piece of the puzzle is an upcoming resolution designed to close enforcement gaps by mandating that the city prioritize code violations affecting habitability safety standards, such as heating, cooling, and running water, before addressing any non-safety-related issues.
The committee advanced the bill to the full City Council without a recommendation. The council will decide the fate of the ordinance at a future council meeting.