Fairfax County officials want harsher penalties for illegal boarding house landlords, a move they say would aid in the fight against a growing safety hazard.
“We’ve seen sheds with power cords attached to them rented out, we’ve seen crawl spaces carved out and then a master lock put on a door,” said Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman. “Allowing people to be in situations where their lives are at risk has to be put to an end.”
Kauffman supports introducing the possibility of jail time for running such operations.
Without certain approvals, no more than four unrelated people can live in a dwelling, and only one distinct living area is allowed per structure in most cases, according to Deputy Zoning Administrator Michael Congleton.
He said complaints of overcrowding have been increasing. In 2004, the county received 121 complaints of illegal multiple-dwelling units and 286 multiple occupancy complaints. The following year, those same figures jumped to 168 and 449 respectively, according to Congleton.
It’s unclear exactly why the situation appears to be worsening. Population has skyrocketed in Fairfax County, which is swiftly becoming more urban and adopting new urban problems.
“There are always going to be some people that willingly flout the law by turning their dwelling into basically a place for 10 to 15 unrelated individuals,” Congleton said.
A proposed law that would create criminal penalties for those who operate illegal boarding houses in Fairfax County was introduced at the last Virginia General Assembly legislative session, but carried over to the next session for further study.
“If someone is taking advantage of people to the extent of $5,000 to $6,000 a month while driving the rest of the neighborhood down, a $1,000 maximum penalty is meaningless,” said Kauffman. “Jail time would get their attention.”
