A local housing committee has come up with a new way to attack the problem of substandard rental housing in Emporia, but the idea seems to have logistical and legal hindrances.
The Building Futures Housing Committee is proposing that volunteers look for unsafe housing and make contact with those landlords to make them aware of options for fixing it. If the landlord refuses to fix safety violations, the volunteer could turn the information over to the City of Emporia or Lyon County District Court for possible prosecution.
Emporia city commissioners like the idea of receiving help on identifying unsafe homes, but questioned who would do the work, how knowledgeable volunteers were with housing codes and whether landlords would take the inquires seriously.
The committee’s objective is to enhance the housing available in the Emporia area. Committee members have noticed what seems to be substandard housing that violates city housing laws.
Swamped city officials don’t have time to investigate all code violations, and money is not available to hire additional city staff to assist.
Fred Neuer, building futures housing committee chairperson, said the idea is not to engage in enforcement of city housing laws.
“Our goal is identify those that need help,” he said. “We want to be fair and impartial with no hidden agenda.”
To read complete story see the print edition or the online print edition.
snow (anonymous) says...
Vigilantes.
August 9, 2010 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Get a Rope!
August 9, 2010 at 3:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
This is a very good idea. Many of these landlords around town who only take the rent and do nothing about the condition of the premises are now on report. Greed will catch up with them.
My friend's granddaughter lives in one of these rat traps. She should just move out and be done with it. The landlord won't fix anything. The kitchen is pulling away from the rest of the house and the pipes freeze in the winter time. When she calls, he says he'll take care of it but never does. He should be prosecuted. Sure, the rent is not high dollar, but what difference does that make? It's criminal to expect people to live in substandard housing. Greedy landlords!!!
August 9, 2010 at 3:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
So many of these properties are upside down and many will back go back to the bank and where will the renters go-entitlement housing.
August 9, 2010 at 3:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
railroadhorn (anonymous) says...
I'm not sure if landlords would be receptive to offers for help but it couldn't hurt. I live next to longtime rental property and it's just a shame what goes on at renters' expense. It's renters' beware and most of them are smart enough to realize what's up with the property, but sometimes young people don't know the difference. Once they become wise, they leave in the middle of the night. Maybe that's the only way to get a landlord's attention.
August 9, 2010 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tell (anonymous) says...
I know if I lived in a rat trap and didn't like it I would leave what part of that is hard to understand. Some renters make the property rat traps. Force the landlords to make the improvments they will be forced to raise rent we better build more homeless shelters.
August 9, 2010 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
ZOWIE , My post got ZAPED ?????
August 9, 2010 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lets_get_reasonable (anonymous) says...
Ready for the ultimate renting horror story?
I was renting an apartment in a duplex, and I was on the main floor. I had the biggest apartment of the three that were in the building. I had the only entrance to the basement and I also had the thermostat.
My lease was for a year, but I only stayed there 7 months, and for good reason! One day I came home from work and my entire kitchen ceiling was now on my kitchen FLOOR. To make matters worse, this was on a Friday and I was just getting ready to leave on a weekend vacation. I called my landlord, and he said "oh it'll be fixed before you get back on Monday, and you won't be able to tell it even happened". Well... finally two weeks later it was fixed, leaving a thick layer of black dirt all over my dishes, inside my food, on top of counters, everywhere. He then tried to make me buy cleaning supplies and scrub the linoleum where the ceiling had scratched the floor!
Other than the kitchen, my living room floor looked like it was about to cave into the basement. The carpets were stained and smelled like dog urine (assuming he didn't even bother cleaning them before I moved in). Also, he constantly asked me to turn the heat down in the winter because his heating bill was too high (he paid gas) even though the other tenants complained to me about how cold they always were.
When I was in the process of moving out, he gave me two weeks to leave. I had many things in boxes overnight so a family member could help me haul them, but when I came back the morning after, I counted over $300 worth of my stuff missing. He was going in the house to "clean"... He then tried to make me pay for the months of rent that I had left since I broke the lease. But believe me, he never got his money because I never got my stuff back!
August 9, 2010 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hogan77 (anonymous) says...
Renters Beware! I have lived in a couple of different places, both in Emporia and in Americus. Granted, we aren't talking about Americus here, but the place I lived in there was HORRIBLE. Mice and roaches ran wild, no matter how much I tried to get rid of them they wouldn't go away. I tried to get the landlord to get rid of them, she was the one who brought the roaches in after all- in a couch that had been sitting outside forever (I did not know this!). She refused to get the place cleaned up. All with a little one in the house.
The places in Emporia weren't any better. Roaches, mice, the places were falling apart. Scumlords need to be punished... just because one cannot afford high rent doesn't mean they need to live in filth, PERIOD.
August 9, 2010 at 5:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I know of one landlord who is known to everyone who never, never got hot water running to one couple's kitchen for months and months and months no matter how often they complained. That house was definitely not "upside down," but was paid for years and years ago.
August 9, 2010 at 6:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oops (anonymous) says...
There are several landlords that are very well to do in this community that run slums. All you would have to do is put the landlords name in the paper with some pics and the shame should get them in motion. Granted there are tenants that destroy property, but I can drive down Union, Exchange, Etc and point out crumbling rentals that obviously the tenant didn't create the holes in the roof or soffits, no heat or ac, faulty plumbing, etc.
August 9, 2010 at 8:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
skraps (anonymous) says...
I had a horrible landlord once. First night we lived there, heater went out in the middle of December. Heat was fixed... a week later. Then dryer connection blew. Landlord swore it was my dryer, so I checked it myself with a multimeter, only 110 power. Landlord refused to do anything about it. I was without a dryer for nearly four months. I finally refused to pay the rent until he did something about it and then all of a sudden an electrician shows up on the 10th, 5 days after the rent was due.
Here's the worst: First summer we lived there, the sewer backed up in the basement. Literally had toilet paper and crap all over the basement. Landlord took 2 weeks to finally get a plumber over, after of course we had snaked it out and cleaned up ourselves. After the sewage incident we tried to disinfect the basement but it was no use. Whole house smelled disgusting and on top of everything else, black mold started growing in the base boards and sheetrock. Once again, landlord refused to do anything. I also found out later from an old tenant that the jerk knew that the sewer backs up periodically and never told us anything about it.
It would have been really useful back then to have someone to help us make him fix things. If they can get the specifics worked out, I think this is a lovely idea.
August 9, 2010 at 10:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Volunteers(neighbors, friends, whoever) turning these people(slumlords) in to the authorities.
"All you would have to do is put the landlords name in the paper with some pics and the shame should get them in motion."
Making the public aware of who these people are. Perhaps make them wear armbands with some sort of symbol too, so they can easily be identified in public.
This reminds me of something ............. Hmm?
Oh yeah, Germany in the early 1940s.
August 9, 2010 at 11:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
It ceases to amaze what people are willing to rent!!!!! I know some folks cannot afford much, I was one of them early in life, but I never had a problem finding safe, clean, affordable housing in Emporia either. The best way to cure the problem of low quality housing is for people to quit renting the dumps, plus they need to quit expecting the Hilton when they are paying budget minded rates.
August 10, 2010 at 12:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
It sounds like to me that Emporia needs more Entitlement Housing.
August 10, 2010 at 12:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Does anyone want to start a landlord association to have a database of those that tear up properties and don't pay rent? This is long overdue!
August 10, 2010 at 2:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Go to How will cape and trade effect your Real Estate business. I have been advising landlords to sell out-this thing is getting crazy and it's not worth it and if you make a profit, there going to tax the hell out of you. Life to short. The End game is that rich people like Doctors are going to buy properties or land fifty cents on the dollar--I am sorry, they already have and they want more on the backs of people least able to compete in the market place.
August 10, 2010 at 2:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
IT'S NOT CAPE AND TRADE, IT'S CAP AND TRADE.
August 10, 2010 at 2:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyon (anonymous) says...
I am a landlord and sometimes the tenants will trash your place. Ever hear of a vacuum? How about paying rent on time? How about telling the landlord when your water has been running for days? Pick up your trash outside the apartment building. Get that trashy couch/chair off the front porch. Some tenants don't care about their apartment and don't take care of where they live. This causes more expense for the landlord and he/she may not have the money at the time to fix everything. To all you tenants, RESPECT!
August 10, 2010 at 7:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyon (anonymous) says...
Hey Reddog, I have a few names for you!
August 10, 2010 at 7:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Just keep all those cards and letters coming in-thank you.
August 10, 2010 at 9:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
reddog
I think lyon was talking about giving you names of bad renters for the landlord association database.
August 10, 2010 at 9:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jackslap (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
August 10, 2010 at 10:21 a.m. ( permalink )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I wonder if any renters admit that they are bad tenants or if they just assume all their problems are the fault of the property owner.
August 10, 2010 at 10:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
My mom rents from Harry and Corey Haag. GREAT LANDLORDS !
Newer apartment, lawn care and snow removel, heck they even change the a/c filters monthly. They will even change the lights bulbs if the tenant calls. (They don't want a little old lady to fall off a chair.)
There is nothing like a long term renter to a landlord, they usually take better care of the property they are living in.
August 10, 2010 at 10:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Captain_Cheddar (anonymous) says...
I agree Steve, I rent from the same, and not only are they friendly enough to actually chat with you when you drop off your rent check, the check on the maintanence work. I had some work done a bathroom towel rack and it wasn't bolted right, luckily they called to check and I was able to point out that bolt problem and it was immediatly fixed. He works with you to make sure everything is going okay. And he controls the rif raff, I only have to call once about a loud party or noise problems in the apartment and the situation is taken care of.
August 10, 2010 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kalamaxfield (anonymous) says...
Can we expose homeowners that do not take care of their property in the paper? My husband and I own a rental property on union that we try very hard to keep up. But.... the neighbors to the north do not take care of their house!! Its falling in around them!!!
August 10, 2010 at 11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
You should check on those people to see if they are ok. Having a house fall on you is not good. One time this really mean lady from back east was visiting here during tornado season and a twister picked up a house and plopped it right down on her head. One minute she's laughing menacingly and the next all you could see was her legs sticking out of the bottom of the house. If you go to check on their well being and they don't answer the door check around the foundation of the house for legs sticking out. The legs may be curled up so keep that in mind.
Warning!! This post contains Kansas humor and is not meant to offend anyone. No actual witches were harmed in the writing of this post.
August 10, 2010 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Pingeon (anonymous) says...
Kala brings up a good point. I know her and the house she is talking about. It makes me wonder why her rental is under stricter rules than the owner occupied house next door.
I also have to wonder why it's always the landlord's fault? I have seen time and time again tenants just thrash a place.
I also had at one of my properties where I was trying to do the right thing and have a water leak repaired that was underground and pouring out and down the driveway. I called every plumber in town and was told I would have to wait a month at the earliest before anyone could be out. I did explain the urgency of the situation, but no one wanted to hear it.
I'm not saying it's never the landlord. All I'm saying is before you go after the landlord, there may be other aspects that need looked at.
August 10, 2010 at 11:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )