Injustice in the Name of Justice

In 2015, The Texas Legislature passed a bill that prohibits local governments from forcing landlords to accept housing vouchers. Sen. Royce West has submitted a bill that would repeal that prohibition and make it illegal to refuse to rent to an individual on the basis of his source of income. West’s proposal would apply across the state.

This is being advocated as an issue of justice for tenants. In truth, it is a gross injustice for landlords and property owners.

Justice means judging others and treating them as they deserve. In doing so, one must consider all of the relevant facts and only the relevant facts. A landlord must consider many factors when evaluating a prospective tenant, including his income and its source. The bill would render the landlord’s judgment irrelevant. If a landlord concludes that accepting housing vouchers is not in his best interest, he will become a criminal for acting on that judgment. He will be forced to act contrary to his judgment.

Housing advocates claim that, because a large percentage of voucher users are black, the refusal to accept vouchers is veiled form of racism. Landlords, the advocates argue, refuse to accept vouchers because they don’t want to rent to blacks.

Landlords can have legitimate reasons for refusing to accept vouchers. The process for a property to be accepted into a voucher program can take months, and during that time the property is vacant and producing no income. To be approved, a property must be inspected and meet certain requirements that a landlord may find objectionable. For example, the inspection guidelines for the Houston Housing Authority (which administers a voucher program in Houston) require a stove and refrigerator. Because tenants have a tendency to abuse appliances and leave them in poor condition, many landlords do not supply them.

A landlord may validly conclude that the hassle and expense of accepting vouchers is not worth it. Their refusal has nothing to do with race. It has to do with the stipulations that accompany vouchers. And I speak from experience.

I have been a landlord for more than ten years. Nearly all of my tenants have been black, and I have never accepted housing vouchers. My refusal has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with the additional expenses and the hassle of the process.

Forcing landlords to accept vouchers would make my judgment, and that of every landlord in the state, meaningless. It would mean treating us in a manner than we do not deserve. It would be an injustice.