Hi all, just a quick bit about us-David and Jeanette Caines.
We are from New Jersey and moved here about two years ago after a house fire in the Princeton area. We are involved politically on a number of local issues, and we vary in our politics from leftist to moderate. Our primary issues are safe housing, slumlords, and generally cleaning up Easton. As you might guess these issues do raise some controversy, well so be it.
At this time I'm spending a good deal of time tracking down what is the law and what isn't-fun as not all of this is readily accessible and some of it seems to contradict itself and as with all laws, there maybe local ordinances and practices that may simply not be available online. As time and some sort of informed opinion permit we will try to answer questions and raise issues regarding better housing for all Eastonians, general safety and particularly renters/homeowners rights.
Well, that's enough for now.
Thanks,
David and Jeanette Caines
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10 comments:
J&D,
I have some ideas that may help you along the lines of finding out what is myth and what is reality regarding our local code enforcement structure. It will require dealing with the issue outside the realm of the city limits but I think it will be well worth the effort for everyone involved.
Just as an aside, I lost a $1600 commission earlier this summer due to the convoluted and obscure code report system we employ. Obviously, the lost income during this recession hit me hard but it isn't the only problem.
The uncompleted transaction means a building remains empty in the West Ward. It means a new homeowner, who would have stabilized a rough section of Walnut Avenue will not be moving here and a building that has been tenant occupied for years will reamin in limbo. It also means that no new tax revenue will flow from the building whether through income produced by the buyer or potential purchases by him from neighborhod businesses.
I forwarded a detailed, written description of the code issues that affected this deal, along with direct questions as to why they occured, to code office director Cindy Cawley. This took place in the first week of August. I have yet to get a response.
As a professional Realtor, trying to promote my city to new buyers, I consider the snub a personal and professional insult. If it is true that Ms. Cawley is really retiring at the end of the year, it would be a blessing to all of us who try mightily to wade through the endless excuses in search of answers.
DRL
Hi Dennis,
Actually most of what we are looking into is outside of the city structure. We are looking into state and federal avenues which sometimes turns up interesting things. A quick for instance is that Cindy is quite heavily certified under the state department of labor and industry with UCC (Uniform Construction Code) certifications in a good number of areas. A couple of our other code folks seem to be as well. Oddly though, the state department of labor and industry seems very limited in what it can/ will investigate and in what powers it has to enforce its findings.
What I/We are trying to find is case law on these issues and others to help in the crafting of an anti-slumlord act/law. We've had good input from some local activists, but much of what we've tracked down is tricky legaly in Easton.
Our fairly recently passed "Landlord Liscencing Act" covers a good number of the issues we wish to see addressed, but enforcement of course is something of an issue. And by that I don't just mean getting the code enforcemnt office to enforce the act, but the fact that the act has yet to meet the test of the courts in all of its aspects. For instance the act had included a "Three strike" rule. A mandatory eviction of tenants who had the police called on them three times or more for disturbing the peace an other such reasons. Well this section of the LLLA failed legal challenge and now stands at forced eviction for tenants who are convicted of diturbing the peace and such twice or more. A real set back, but the law works that way sometimes.
What I think we would most like to see is a citizen based volunteer group that can work under the code enfocement office to aid in eforcement issues by directly issuing code violations themselves. But this gets tricky when it comes to certification issues and of course the multiplicity of rights granted to less than stellar landlords. It does however seem a possibilty, but more research will need to be done, and we're doing it. It's just likely to take a while.
Thanks,
David
David,
Could you post the Landlord Licensing Act on the blog as a post (as long as your "torn page" feature is working when you post so that it's not too long on the home page)?
David,
You can access all Easton Codes at this website. We should really post this on the blog. I'm creating a website, Easton-specific, that it will be on as well.
Terrence
http://www.ecode360.com/?custId=EA2741
I live directly across from the house you refer to. As you may recall, when we had a problem in the past we were able to work with the homeowner, though out of country at the time, to come to a solution. This neighborhood has become safer over the years primarily as a result of working through the issues with landlords, property owners and tenants, street people and even gang members--not the city and at no cost to the city.
It is truly a shame the house remains vacant. You have lost income in a city that has picked your pocket for more municipal income and residents have been robbed of the opportunity to continue stabilizing the neighborhood. The bold notice on the front door does little to make our street attractive to investors. Recently, potential buyers of house further east on Walnut remarked to me (introduced to me by a friend and the realtor) when they saw the sign, 'Oh, that's not good.' Certainly this same impression may be shared by folks thinking about moving into available rentals.
I agree and would be interested in the options outside the city limits you allude to.
Hi Dennis,Curious about the options you've mentioned. Noel made a reference to a national group that you are aware of that might provide some help...I'll look forward to hearing about it.
Hi Terrence, I'm thrilled that a direct and non-governmental aproach worked for you I wish we could get it to work with our slumlord, but well he realy is one. We exhausted all of the polite avenues in the first year that we lived here.
He owns somewhere between 1200 and 1500 units in Easton, he does not live here and he does not care. Slums are his business and he's told me point blank that as long as he's making money here he doesn't give a shit about us, our nieghborhood or this town. Said it to my face when I cornered him in my backyard one day about yet another drugged out scumbag familly he'd moved onto our block.
What has worked with him at least to some degree has been constant calls to codes, regular calls to the police, the threat of forced evictions. Beyond any doubt his sole concern is profit and as such that is what we've attacked. From what we've been able to uncover he is one of seven such peolpe in Easton and between them they have a major impact on our comunity, continuing poverty, lowered resale values, lowered tax revenues, etc...
Sadly this is a hardened businessman, I'd call him a criminal, but while slumlording may be disgusting it is not perse criminal. Though criminalizing the practice is something we are looking into. More research...go figure.
The rest like yourselves, we do in person. Confronting dealers, taking pictures, increasing our lighting, sometimes feeding hungry kids like Chester. Oddly I just found out tonight why all of the local kids have started playing in front of our house, and its simple...we're the only house on this part of the block that leaves the light on. So we're now sort of the defacto nieghborhood safe house, go figure.
But as to our slumlord our only real fall back is enforcement. Sad but true.
I'd like to say here that I respect the hell out of your aproach, but we've had to take a different path.
Thanks for posting the web address, my torn page thingy doesn't work yet.
Thanks
David.
Terrence,
The "Use Forbidden" placard on 657 Walnut is due to an oversight in paying the water bill during the hoped-for transition (now no longer happening) from the seller to the prospective buyer. I have to get in touch with the owner overseas and see if I can find out if it can be removed. An ironic twist on the signage is that another client of mine had to have one posted on his Northampton Street property due to chronic break-ins. Since it has no water service right now, it was legally possible to have the building posted and that now gives the police the legal right to enter the property at will if they see signs of entry rather than waiting for someone to report it after the fact when the damage has been done.
DRL
Hi Dennis,
I'm of two minds on this as the other half of my house is for all intents and purposes abandoned (It's been for sale for 11 years), and I half wish the city had the right to inspect and enetr at will as we are sometimes not home, though we do keep an eye on things. That he has the water and heat turned off is an annoyance as the palce acts like a heat sink for us and may well have a great deal to do with why our heating bills are so high. Belive me, I have stuffed as much issulation between us as possible, but our pipes still freeze sometimes, and it's always where his place leaks cold into ours. For two weeks last winter his front door was open, and I finally went and screwed it shut mysself, which is probably ileagal...but the pipes kept frezzing. The cold air blew down his stairs to pass through our common wall right onto the water pipes...to give codes credit they did come and make a note of it. I am of course sorry your deal fell through for such a stupid reason, I assume there was more involved but maybe not. Still, I'd love to hear of this national org noel reffered to unless there's some reason not to mention it by name...I'd love to pick your brain on a number of things truth be told...but I digress.
BTW while I'm sure you know this, people sometimes target abandoned houses simply to rip out the copper pipping and sell it...we live in fear of that happening next door as it would probbably flood us (even with the watter off) and destroy all we've built. We like it here though it takes some getting used to and to be blunt with the ecconomy the way it is we can't afford to leave...even though I think we're here for the long haul. We have a beautiful house not far removed from the 1870's when it was built
(thank TOm Jones for the date) With the addition of close to ten tons of topsoil the back yard is comming along (buuterfly bushes and honeysuckle for the most part) and it is our hope that the rennovations will be finnished in time to have you all over next summer. Our thanks to Julie and Ghenn for fire and wine, and hopefully we can return the favor. Though I have to hear from codes about a stone (36x36 with a cover) non-perminant wood burning fire pit/BBQ- you haven't tased food 'till it's been slow roasted over a wood fire...trust me on this. If Cindy/ codes say's it's okay we'll invite her/them (slow roasted pork is a gift of the gods...and I"m talking about 48hrs...not just a few.)...but rules are rules and that's for next spring anyway. I"m pretty shure it's okay under BOCA and UCC with the distances we have in mind from anything flamable- Thanks Terrence for the link....but city orgs I'm just learning.
Thanks,
David.
David,
I'll get back to you personally about the code issue ideas I have.
DRL
David,
I'll get back to you personally about the code issue ideas I have.
DRL
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