MAYOR KELLER SIGNS LAW PROTECTING RENTERS

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Mayor Tim Keller announced he has signed the Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance, giving the City stronger tools to require timely repairs, protect displaced tenants, and hold repeat housing-code offenders accountable.

The new law establishes an accelerated enforcement process for rental housing conditions that endanger life, health, safety, property, or public welfare. Responsible parties will have 72 hours to correct a serious habitability violation or request additional time through a City-approved remediation plan.

“Since the rent gets paid, the repairs must get made, it’s that simple,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Most landlords take care of their properties, but this law focuses on the repeat offenders who collect rent while families live without heat, cooling, running water, or other basics. If you profit from rental units in our City, you are responsible for the people living in them.”

Today’s bill signing builds on the Keller administration’s efforts to protect renters and tackle chronic problem properties, with the recent launch of the Out-of-State Lazy Landlords List, and last week’s signing of the Downtown Vacant Premises Ordinance. The Lazy Landlord List identifies rental properties owned by out-of-state entities with patterns of serious code violations, substantiated resident complaints, failed inspections, or repeated failures to respond to the City. The Downtown Vacant Premises Ordinance (0-26-30) expands the City’s ability to address long-vacant properties that create safety hazards, attract crime, and slow economic investment Downtown.

In 2025, Albuquerque recorded approximately 34,000 code violations. Of those, 2,111 involved the Uniform Housing Code, which establishes minimum housing standards. Only 148 properties received three or more Uniform Housing Code violations, but those properties accounted for approximately 40% of all such violations citywide.

Under the new law, the City can issue a $500 daily fine when a serious habitability violation remains unresolved beyond the applicable deadline. It also establishes a separate $500 penalty when a responsible party receives three habitability violations within a 12-month period, followed by additional penalties for subsequent violations. The law does not apply to owner-occupied dwellings, short-term rentals, hotels, or other transient lodging units.

When a repair takes more than seven days and tenants cannot safely remain in the unit, the responsible party must cover temporary relocation costs. If the responsible party fails to arrange relocation, the City may relocate the affected tenants and recover its costs from the owner, including through a lien on the property.

The ordinance is paired with a resolution directing the Planning Department’s Code Enforcement division to prioritize complaints involving heating, cooling, running water, ventilation, blocked exits, and other health-and-safety conditions over lower-level complaints such as weeds and litter.

Residents experiencing dangerous conditions in a rental unit should first notify their landlord, property manager, or other responsible party and retain documentation of the request. If the condition remains unresolved, residents may contact 311 and report a code violation.

Additionally, Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) and the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness (HHH) are available to help residents affected by unsafe or negligent property conditions. Anyone who needs assistance should call 311, where they will be connected with available resources and services, including support for basic needs, housing, public health, and other immediate concerns. HHH also operates four health and social service centers across the City, while ACS helps connect people with compassionate, community-based support when needs arise.