Landlord--Tenant Hotline Study: Characterizing Environmental Hazards in Renter-Occupied Units in Clark County, Nevada.

The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) began operation of a landlord--tenant hotline to address residential habitability complaints in 2011. There are limited studies describing such hotlines and the types of complaints experienced by callers in renter-occupied units (ROUs) anywhere in the U.S., much less in Clark County, Nevada. This study examined the hotline operation and found that it received almost 5,000 calls from March 2014--July 2016. Callers with complaints covered by the Nevada Revised Statute Chapter 118A, habitability of a dwelling, were eligible for participation in the Clark County Landlord--Tenant Hotline Study. The study collected additional data on 1,283 participants characterizing the population using the hotline and types of housing complaints reported. Callers typically were 38 ± 13.9 years old, female (75%), and the majority identified as non-Hispanic or Latino, Black/African American, or White. General maintenance, mold-like substances, and cockroaches were the top three complaints reported. SNHD inspectors conducted 290 site inspections of participant dwellings and validated the presence of the complaint(s) in the majority of cases. The findings presented here indicate a need for further investigation and continuation of services provided by the hotline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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