Housing

Under many rental agreements, tenants sign off on a provision that allows housing managers and staff to enter a home to address concerns or inspect the premises.  Now state lawmakers are weighing whether such agreements should be extended to homes that are actually OWNED by tenants-- who are leasing a lot. 

It’s unlawful for landlords to evict tenants for taking legal action or notifying authorities about uninhabitable conditions, but tenants may have little recourse under current state law.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, proposed legislation would make it less difficult for tenants to win a case if retaliation is a cause of eviction.

Tenants have a right to decent conditions, but the Virginia Poverty Law Center’s Christie Marra says fear of losing their home makes them afraid to assert those rights. 

Population growth in Virginia slowed last year—but the commonwealth still outpaced the nation.
 

Between 2012 and 2013, Virginia’s population grew less than 1-percent, to nearly 8-point-3 million people.  That’s the slowest growth in the state since the recession….but still higher than the national average.

A construction site accident at Virginia Tech last week, once again highlights the importance of safety measures at commercial construction sites.

Five people suffered non-life threatening injuries, when a hydraulic scaffold collapsed and fell about 25 feet. No word yet on the cause of that accident.

Falls by workers are one of the major causes of fatalities on construction sites. And while there have long been fall prevention regulations for commercial construction, OSHA recently implemented safety requirements for RESIDENTIAL construction as well. 

If you follow world news, it’s easy to get discouraged - to feel helpless in the face of so much violence, suffering and destruction, but a group of Virginia builders have found a way to improve conditions and to raise spirits.