Columbia Heights, a first-ring Minneapolis suburb about 5 miles north of the city, has also pressured Progress after fielding tenants' complaints. Last year, it revoked the rental license for HavenBrook Homes, the Progress affiliate, after an investigation into the company's properties found numerous uncorrected building and safety code violations. They included missing or broken carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, combustible material stored under basement stairs, mold, broken windows and leaking plumbing — violations that the city said put renters' lives at risk. The mayor of Columbia Heights, Amada Marquez Simula, characterized the landlord as "predatory" in an interview. "Everyone should be able to live in dignified, safe housing," Marquez Simula told NBC News, "and if landlords aren't providing that, the only way cities have to enforce that safety is landlords losing that license."