Slumlords have dominated large swaths of Omaha’s rental market for far too long. It is time that the people of Omaha RISE UP and say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. On this website, you can see pictures of current slum conditions. You can also find help if you are renting from a slumlord. If you’d like to learn how to get involved in stopping our substandard housing crisis once and for all, you can do that here too.
To SUBMIT PICTURES (and videos) of slum conditions, click here.
Take 1 minute and fill out this form that will automatically be emailed to your State Senator!
There is a bill (LB 320) going through the Nebraska Legislature tomorrow (Thursday, March 18th) that will help to ensure fair rental practices for ALL Nebraska renters!
This bill promotes fair rental practices for Nebraskans, ensures transparency in the eviction process and protects victims of domestic violence.
You can support this bill by telling the Legislature that they should support LB320. Here are some points you could consider making or include some of your own:
–> I support LB 320 because it ensures that victims of domestic violence cannot be evicted from their homes because of their victimization. Please vote for LB 320. –> I support LB 320 because it creates more fair practices for renters during eviction proceedings.,. Please vote for LB 320. –> I support LB 320 because it will ensure greater transparency and better align renter laws in Nebraska. Please vote for LB 320.
Are you a renter? Do you have rental properties in your neighborhood? Look up your address via the City of Omaha’s new Rental Registration map (https://omaharentalinfo.com/map-).
If you do not see your home/apartment listed, that means that your rental isn’t registered with the city. ALL landlords have to register their property, as mandatory rental inspections start next year. To let the City of Omaha know that your property (or your neighbor’s property) isn’t registered, click “contact us” at the top of the map, and send them a message with your address. Your information is kept confidential. They will then contact your landlord and make them register. Mandatory rental inspections will keep our homes and our city safer. Share this information!
Pictures just in from a West Omaha rental home. Tenant is reporting that the roof started leaking last summer. The landlord put patches on the roof, but it didn’t stop the leaking. Leaking was reported again late last year, but no one came to fix anything. For the past five months, the roof has been leaking and the ceilings have been getting progressively worse. One of the bedroom windows recently became stuck open and cannot be closed. Landlord was notified, and no one has come out to fix it.
Pictures just in from a tenant living near 40th and Dodge street. Upon moving in to the apartment, tenant discovered holes in the ceiling, mold, and could hear rats scurrying around in the ceiling…among many other things. Despite asking the landlord to come and fix things, nothing has been done….for months.
Tenant sent in pictures and a video of ongoing struggles at an apartment near 99th and Fort street. Tenant reports that the underbody of the apartment building roof has holes in it, and birds and bats are living inside. Bat feces was found inside of the furnace. Additionally, tenant is struggling with mold throughout apartment. When the furnace turns on, white powder has been coming out of the vents, which the tenant has been vacuuming up in large quantities. Tenant also reports that since moving into this apartment, they have become very ill and are having significant health issues that were not present prior to living here.
Underbody of roof where tenant says birds and bats are living.
Vent where white powder has been coming out.
This is the white powder that has been coming out of the vent.
Pictures and video just in from a tenant living near 40th and Jones street. Shortly after moving in, tenant reported that the ceiling started leaking, with water streaming down the wall dangerously close to an electrical outlet. It took three months of constant reporting to the landlord before someone was sent to look at the problem. Shortly afterwards, more of the ceiling started leaking, and the wet conditions caused mold that led the tenant to get sick. Altogether, the tenant lived in these wet and moldy for SEVEN months, with no relief or permanent fixes from the landlord.
Water streaming down a wall, dangerously close to an electrical outlet
Moldy conditions in basement where shared laundry machines were kept
Tomorrow is the big day when Omaha’s City Council votes on whether we will have proactive rental inspections. While we wait for City Council to convene tomorrow, here are some thoughts to consider.
Listen as this local Omaha refugee explains what it was like moving from a refugee camp (with no bed bugs) to an Omaha apartment infested with bed bugs.
Yet another Omaha apartment complex is having to undergo an evacuation due to substandard living conditions. WOWT Channel 6 just reported that mold and asbestos was found in 40 units in an apartment complex off of 108th and Fort Street. Tenants in affected units have been given 5 days to find a new place to live.
Think housing issues only happen in north and east Omaha? Think again. These pictures were just sent in and were taken March 2019. This is from a complex near 108th and Dodge. Tenants are reporting that repairs are not being made.
We’ve got “Best of Omaha” awards. How about “Worst of Omaha” awards? We nominate this apartment bathtub for the “Worst caulk job ever.” Apartment near 48th and Boyd. Picture taken February 2019.
We’ve never given an award before on #wedontslum, but there’s a first for everything. Here is the award for the worst caulk just we’ve ever seen. This is in an apartment off of 44th and Cuming Street.
Wait, what? Who did this?
More bad caulking. Tenant reporting that the loose bathroom tiles are growing mold behind them that is impossible to get cleaned out.
Huge gap in the back door where you can see the outdoors. Who needs windows when you’ve got a view like this?
Rental near 47th and Lafayette with issues throughout.
Furnace not working correctly. Tenant reports that air was leaking out of furnace and that it was not sealed properly.
Stove ventilation was loose and coming out. Maintenance came to fix by putting steel wool around the holes, but it didn’t fix the issue, as the ventilation was still loose and was not properly ventilating.
Throughout home, the carpet was not properly tacked down and was a tripping hazard for tenants.
Instead of fixing the window, plywood was installed by maintenance and was painted white inside, to make it look like it was a normal part of the home.
The transition piece was not properly installed and tenants reported stepping on uneven screws and tripping over raised metal piece.
Just got these pictures in. Taken March 2019. Water has been pouring into the entry way of an apartment building near 22nd and Jones Street. What can be seen on the wall is the frozen water from the leak.
Tenant living in North Omaha shared these pictures and videos. The tenant’s roof leaked so profusely that the dining room ceiling collapsed. Tenant has been trying to get the landlord to fix the roof for two months. The bathroom toilet has also been leaking into the basement, causing water damage.
Update: After this tenant reported these issues to Omaha’s City Code department, the landlord attempted to evict them.
This family has struggled with mold in their apartment (near 51st and NW Radial) for a long time. They reported asking maintenance for help many times (as they have mold and water damage throughout their apartment from leaking ceilings and walls), but no one came to fix anything. Video taken February 2019.
This tenant has been struggling with serious flooding issues in their apartment (near 50th and L street) for over a year. Many of their belongings have been destroyed. Picture and video taken February 2019.
Tenant moved into this unit near 45th and Hamilton not knowing it was infested with mice and cockroaches. During their first night, mice were running throughout the apartment all night long. Imagine if you rented an apartment, and on your FIRST NIGHT mice came out in hoards and kept you from sleeping. Not only that, but imagine going to cook in your kitchen and finding that all your pots, pans, and cooking utensils were surrounded by mouse feces and urine. This was reality for this family. It took over four months of solid advocacy work from a church to finally get the landlord to get the infestations under some control. When pest control finally came, huge holes were found under cabinets, by the window, and in the boiler room. The family is currently reporting (February 2019) that they are still struggling with mice and cockroaches. Pictures taken November 2018 and January 2019.
Tenants moved into this home near 40th and Pratt in this condition. It took an advocacy group getting involved to get these issues fixed. The amount of peeling paint was a health hazard, and the little ones in the home ended up testing positive for lead. Pictures taken November 2018.
Picture just in from a rental home near 48th and Ames. The sinks are horribly corroded. The family has also been having toilet problems for ten months and have been asking their landlord to fix it, but no one comes. Picture taken February 2019.
Conditions in multiple apartments off of 63rd and Taylor. Pictures taken February 2019. In three different apartments, multiple windows will not shut, so tenants have to shove foam and clothing into the gap to keep the winter air out.
The hallway handrail broke. The solution? Tape.
Badly deteriorated windows outside of an apartment.
This bathroom ceiling has been leaking for a while.
Exposed wiring.
Exposed wiring and broken drywall.
This sink leaks so bad the family has two containers under it to catch the leaking water.
Sink is corroding
Window will not shut – family has to put foam in the gaps
A tenant living in a large apartment complex near 45th and Hamilton sent in these pictures. It’s being reported that there’s only one dumpster available for the hundreds of people living there.
It is also being reported that no ice melt is being put down by the landlord.
One tenant caught these mice and cockroaches last night at an apartment near 51st and NW Radial. Tenants are reporting catching upwards of 20 mice per night in single apartments. Picture taken February 2019.
Bed bugs at night in an apartment near 51st and NW Radial. This person did not have bed bugs when they moved into this unit. The bed bugs were already there.