There’s NEVER an excuse for landlords in Pottstown to rent to convicted drug felons or people who cannot evidence a pay stub from a job, SSI or SSD. I have even heard some landlords claim that their apartments will sit vacant for months until the right person (s) come along that have their act together enough to have stayed out of prison. This post is inspired by a conversation on FB on Crime in Pottstown…
A smart landlord plans for vacancies and understands the potential ramifications of renting to anyone with a pocket full of cash and no background check or pay stubs.
BIG problem is – – in Pottstown there have been NO ramifications for landlords that avoid due diligence but there are plenty of ramifications for other property owners INCLUDING good landlords who often can’t keep good renters because of the crime and filth all around them.
Having said that, I can almost hear the battalion of (land) lords <many who affiliate with the Western Montgomery County Real Estate Investors Group, among other notable property management and real estate companies in the area> planning their next council brow-beating session when the topic of better ordinances and supervision of rentals is on the horizon again ** complete with not-so-veiled threats of lawsuits against the borough** yawn.
But again, council backs down…why? We want the issue of rental housing to remain front and center in councils minds and actions.
Starting at about 9:44 with other comments mixed in, LANDLORDS WHINE TO COUNCIL:
You can see all the videos <including more LL whining and threats of lawsuits against the borough> on the Citizens Action Committee for Pottstown’s Youtube channel.
Comments on Facebook from good renters and good landlords indicate that THEY have no problem with annual inspections. So WHO has a problem? Could be (land) lords that are the very people that “fly under the radar” and they like it that way.
There are plenty of working poor in Pottstown who need a break. Decent housing, manageable rent payments and a landlord that gives two hoots about their property, the tenants and the community.
Landlord ignorance is not an excuse for renting to drug dealers and other criminals, nor is greed a reason.
FREE BACKGROUND CHECK
HOUSING LAW IN A NUTSHELL
The Nation’s Fair Housing Law protects 7 classes of people:
Race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin. <<<Note: drug dealers are not among the protected class of people in the nation, state or even Pottstown (although you’d be wondering if Pottstown has seceded from the union given the # of drug houses allowed to proliferate here).
In addition to these protected classes, Pennsylvania offers legal protection based on:
ancestry
age (40 and older)
use of guide or support animal
status as handler or trainer of guide or support animal. <<<Note: convicted drug dealers are NOT protected in PA, or any felon for that matter.
In combination with what we hope will be a more aggressive effort by the Montgomery County D.A.’s office to hold accountable the extractive, negligent income investors who rent to convicted drug dealers, and other criminals. We, the community of homeowners, businesses, good landlords and good renters, are going to keep this issue front and center in Pottstown and…
council has a big-big role to play in this too because while the PPD is stepping up their game, why should council continue to accommodate bad landlords or even allow more negative investors into the community?
Below is a link to the Mercury’s coverage of the most recent drug house raid in a RENTAL house VV Good work PPD AND residents who inform the police about the drug houses in their neighborhoods.
We are doing our part and the PPD is doing their part…there can be no excuse for the borough to let the rental housing slide any longer.
IMPLEMENT THE BETTER LANDLORD PROGRAM…WITHOUT DELAY.
And, consider that it’s way beyond time for council to figure out how to ENFORCE the Charge Back Ordinance as suggested by councilwoman, Sheryl Miller, because, as I have learned recently … even though a landlord might resist paying the $100 fine, the violation CAN give L&I the legal right to pull the license (if there is one). But, either way, the borough can refuse to let a probelmatic landlord continue to rent their property if they are unwilling to pay their fines. That’s a powerful tool USE IT.
Police searching for suspect from Pottstown drug raid
