I'm against the Clairton politicians nearly everyday, but thankful they're doing something about slumlords taking rent payments but not paying the bills.
http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmc...z38olfjq21
Clairton officials are overcoming legal hurdles to find solace for Century Town Homes residents who feel they have been victimized by the irresponsibility of their property owner.
For months, renters have come to city hall with questions regarding a lack of maintenance to their properties and services that should have been covered by their monthly payments.
“The city became aware that there was a considerable amount of delinquent taxes owed as well as delinquent garbage collection and other fees,” city Solicitor Deron Gabriel explained. “The owner of the largest number of properties within Century Town Homes has not been paying those bills.”
Century Arms Townhomes LLC, led by David Geisler, purchased more than 100 units from Action Housing in 2012, and in that time, a minimal amount of bills have been paid. The city became involved when residents felt their livelihood was threatened by the landlord company's inability to uphold its end of their rental agreements.
“It's complicated right now from a legal standpoint,” Gabriel said. “But I would trust that council and the mayor have been very supportive and are doing their part.”
Councilwoman Lee Lasich, who represents the city's Second Ward, has served as a spokeswoman for city council and Century Town Homes residents during legal meetings on the issue.
Lasich said she hopes Century Town Homes residents understand that the city is doing all it can to help them, but the process may be lengthy. She encouraged residents to feel supported — and not forgotten — while the legal issues are resolved.
“There is no place in this town that council doesn't care about,” she said.
Residents Bob Alderson, Geri Cochran, Paulette Dale and Barbara McCoulgh met with Lasich on a recent tour of their neighborhood to inform residents of ongoing property inspections required by the court.
“He's not paying taxes. He's not paying garbage bills. He's not paying anything,” Lasich said. “A lot of people aren't paying now, and I don't know if it's because he's not paying. It's not fair. We can't just go after one (property owner).”
Jonette Emsurak, who owns a handful of Century Town Homes properties, said neighboring landlords are suffering for Geisler's actions.
“This isn't only an investment,” Emsurak said. “We need to be helping this community.”
Residents said they're living in unkempt properties with delinquent bills, and it's not their fault.
“They were paying money to Mr. Geisler, which they thought was going toward their water bill, and it wasn't being turned over,” Gabriel confirmed.
Deputy Mayor Kathy Tachoir said her first encounter with this problem was when the water company sent shut-off notices to residents who had paid their bills to the property owner.
“That was at least a year ago,” Tachoir said. “That was the first big wake-up call. We started talking to people and looking into things more.”
Mayor Rich Lattanzi said he's upset that the property owner appears to be taking advantage of Clairton residents.
“We, as a governing body, our job is to protect the people,” Lattanzi said. “They reached out to us and said this is a problem bigger than what we can handle. We, as a city, didn't know what we could do until we started going through the proper channels.”
The mayor shared court documents illustrating that Century Arms Townhomes LLC collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from its residents and didn't pay its bills. He said the company appears to be making a profit and leaving a problem in the hands of the city.
The city took Century Arms Townhomes LLC to court, and in early July a receiver was appointed to manage the complex's finances in the corporation's place. That effort was thwarted when Geisler filed for the corporation's bankruptcy on July 10.
“The city's hands are tied to a certain degree,” Alderson said. “This is a problem across the Mon Valley. Landlords are taking advantage of residents all over this area — here in Clairton, in Duquesne, in McKeesport. You can't get away from it.”
Gabriel explained that action could be taken in criminal court if civil proceedings are unsuccessful because of the bankruptcy filing.
“We are aware that there's an investigation going on from a criminal standpoint, and that type of case goes through the District Attorney's Office of Allegheny County and/or the FBI on a federal level,” he said. “We don't know any particulars of any investigation, but the city obviously will cooperate.”
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slumlords taking advantage of the poor
