Finding housing in Tahlequah can be difficult for many
Jul. 7—Many people in the Tahlequah area are facing difficulties in finding housing, for a variety of reasons.
Several local Facebook groups are dedicated to helping people locate rental housing in and around Tahlequah. Many of these groups regularly see posts from people needing a place quickly.
On July 3, Jessica Cook posted on the "Tahlequah Oklahoma rentals" Facebook group. She said she and her husband were "frantically" looking for a rent house or rent to own housing near Tahlequah where they can raise their child, and she added that they do have dogs and rabbits.
Increasing rent prices is an issue for some tenants, like Tahlequah resident Jaya Cochran, who posted her need for a new and affordable place to rent on the "Tahlequah Gossip" Facebook group on June 19.
"My current place is going to go up by almost $200 and I just know we probably won't be able to afford it. If anybody knows about anything, let me know. I also have two cats," said Cochran.
These issues are not new. Back in March, Realtor Steven Wright, manager at Century 21 Wright Real Estate, spoke to the Tahlequah Daily Press about increased demand for housing, rental prices and property values. Wright said the COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic effect on the real estate market, from a sales and rental perspective.
"As demand increased, property values increased, which then gradually increased rent," Wright said.
The trend will like continue as the city grows.
"Due to the steady flow of people moving to the Tahlequah area for work, school and retirement, rent will likely gradually increase," he said.
Despite this, legal protections remain in place for those looking to rent or buy housing in the area.
The City of Tahlequah has a section of ordinances related to fair housing and anti-discrimination. Ordinance 899, 2-1-1999 states it is the policy of the city to provide, within constitutional limitations, for fair housing throughout the city.
With some exceptions regarding housing for sale or rent by owner, after making a bona fide offer, it is unlawful to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability or familial status. It is unlawful to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any person because of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability or familial status.
The code also states that any person who claims to have been injured by a discriminatory housing practice or who believes they will be irrevocably injured by a discriminatory housing practice that is about to occur may file a complaint with the chief executive officer.
Mayor Sue Catron clarified the language used in this section.
"The language in this chapter refers to a chief executive officer. The closest we come to that is the mayor, who is designated in code as the chief operating officer of the city," said Catron. "This section of code falls into 'Building Regulations and Codes', which generally falls to our Code Compliance division under Ray Hammons."
Catron suggested when this section was added to the City Ordinances.
"In looking at the code, it seems as if most — if not all — was added to our ordinances in 1999," said Catron.
What's next
The second part of the series will focus on the specific difficulties and discriminatory practices that some prospective renters and homeowners face.
