In June, 2012 I sponsored a SLUM OPEN HOUSE at 503 King St <click for 1st blog post>
I issued personal, email invitations to all of Pottstowns officials and an open invitation to residents so they could see for themseleves how many low-income people, (including children), in our community are forced to live in slum properties.
501 and 503 King St. are a single house chopped up into decrepit, dangerous apartments owned by POVERTY PIMP KENNETH KAUFMAN. If 501 King St. rings a bell that’s because in November 2014, a little over three months ago, a woman Ken rented to, in one of the downstairs apartments, was murdered in her bed for a $30 drug debt <click to read Mercury article.
2 1/2 (TWO AND ONE HALF) years since the OPEN HOUSE, incredulously…
Nothing has changed. Ken Kaufman STILL demands CASH payments from his renters then, his renters only see him on rent payment day. Cash rents make the taxes a little lighter at the end of the year. In some cases, if a tenant forgets to ask for a receipt, it can be a tool to extract more money from them as the experienced scum are known to do in Pottstown.
Kenneth Kaufman is a former colleague of Council President, Stephen Toroney, at The Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center in Limerick. Toroney is retired as of last year but Ken still teaches. Does Toroney claim to be oblivious to the despicable properties owned by Kaufman in Pottstown? Yes or No, either answer is unacceptable because the Open House <2.5 years ago> was well publicized in the local press.
If Toroney claims he was unaware, doesn’t that speak for itself?
Evan Brandt/Activist invites Pottstown Council to see poor living conditions in permitted rental:
http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120630/NEWS01/120629312/activist-invites-pottstown-council-to-see-poor-living-conditions-in-permitted-rental
Roys Rants:
http://roysrants.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/an-editorial-follow-up-activist-invites-pottstown-council-to-see-poor-living-conditions-in-permitted-rental/#comments
Robert Senior/Open House Sheds Light On Deplorable Rental Conditions:
http://pottstown.patch.com/articles/open-house-sheds-light-on-deplorable-rental-conditions
Last November the Sanatoga Press referred to Ken as “benevolently” watching his culinary arts students:
http://sanatogapost.com/2014/11/04/career-center-students-wow-diners-monday-buffet/
<Benevolence and Kenneth Kaufman in the same sentence…pardon me while I choke on my egg roll>…
In her own words, Emily shares her story:
Gap in the outside door lets cold air flow into the apartment.
Well, my fiancé and I began to rent from him November 1st, 2014. I was five months pregnant at the time, close to being six. Ken had known that. He had refused to allow us to see the apartment unless we had $1100 cash. I’m only 18, my fiancé is only 20 and Ken took advantage of knowing we needed a place to go asap or we were both going to be homeless. We saw the apartment, and we asked him if the heating source was legal and he told us it was. Mind you, being new to renting we had no idea what we were getting into.
Months have gone by now, and I recently found out the apartment was never inspected.
![Windows are duct taped to curtail the cold air as best as possible.]()
- Windows are duct taped to curtail the cold air as best as possible.
My son is now here, and the place is getting colder so I decided to check up on Kens name. Found your site, and decided to call out the inspector. He failed, horribly. The stairs are leaning outside, and get this… The space heaters are beyond illegal. There are so many reasons he failed. Ken called to let us know that the apartment is being condemned but doesn’t believe that he should find us a new place to live or give us any money we put forward. Our electric bill is insane and he believes he doesn’t owe us anything because my fiancé broke a door.. A door! He knowingly, willingly allowed two new renters bring an infant into a place that was illegal and is perfectly okay with us now being out in the cold and the place is getting colder.
Precious 2 week old whose mama is hugely worried about his safety.
My son currently has to sleep with me every night because of how cold it is in this apartment, even with the heaters on blast. I shouldn’t have to be worrying about my two week old son being warm. I blame myself partially for putting him here but at the same time Ken should have followed the LAW and had the place inspected before hand!
The 503 King street address, & we spoke to the inspector when he came to inspect. We aren’t taking the condemnation seriously until we get it verified by the inspector. Which we have yet to hear back from? Planning to call them first thing Monday.
We showed him what was wrong when we moved in and the inspector took pictures and notes. Said there’s no question why he didn’t have it inspected, because there was “no chance in hell he would have passed”
I was sleeping when the woman downstairs was killed and all Ken had to say to me was “oh she was on her way out. If you know anyone who needs a place I’ll give you $50″
We are still here, only because we have $0 to our name at the moment;
We aren’t leaving until we know for a fact by Charlie Weller that the place is being condemned.
Ken had the nerve to say “you guys brought this upon yourselves” We have space heaters but we’re constantly resetting the power box and we’re not even close to being warm. I shiver in my bathroom, afraid to shower because of how cold it is. Having to wear hoodies and sweat pants and have my son in bed with us in worry of him not being warm enough.
As I put the finishing touches on this blog post it is 5 degrees in Pottstown / feels like -18 degrees and I am concerned for this young family with a new baby, anybody with a heart should be. Anybody who can DO SOMETHING to protect these people – should be doing it.
Ken Kaufman? He is a heartless, money grubbing bastard imho (Slumlord to Tenant: oh you wanted heat in that apt? That’ll cost you an exta $50, no charge for the mold). At this moment, I’m not sure I can honestly say that the Pottstown administators and some employees have proven themselves to be much different than Kaufman. THIS HAS TO STOP NOW!!!!!! How do you look at yourselves in the mirror?
If the borough continues delaying the end of the greedy tyranny of Kenneth Kaufman, (and others like him), they condone his abuse of his renters, his properties, the good neighbors and taxpayers of Pottstown then there is plenty of blame and shame to go around.
# 1 issue on the table NOW and council people THAT MEANS YOU too. IF that newborn baby <or any of the children in the comment below> are harmed due to the untenable conditions of that rental property – – the responsiblity lies on all of your shoulders.
In response to the plight of this young family, I received the following information from “Nucki” William Heuer has been on my radar for some time now, question is: Why isn’t he on the borough’s radar and why are people ignored by officials? There are painful consequences for children who live in these enviromental waste sites thru no choice of their own and the onus is on local government to take right action now.
My landlord is William Heuer, I feel for these ppl because I too am in similar situation, I have three children about to be out in the.cold as well. I have gone to L&I and council numerous times since June 2014 begging for help,and they have done nothing! The place I live didn’t pass inspection but they allowed him to rent it anyway,and even though the place has many violations the borough does nothing to enforce the citations on the landlord. They have lied and continue to cover for this landlord and his shenanigans . I had to recently call health department because of mold my youngest sons disabilities are intensely aggravated by presence of mold, I explained this to borough and that also fell on deaf ears. The point is simply that this borough could care less about the tenants and their rights…mine have been violated and I plan to seek justice.
