Anti-blight law goes into effect (Pittsburgh, Braddock: apartment complexes, homes, landscaping)

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Spoken like a pro!

Since Allegheny County is riding around taking pictures for reassessments, you can rip those gutters off a little and let them hang and spray paint some graffiti on the homes you own. Certainly don't want to mow the lawn this year or take care of anything like bushes and trees. Looking good is BAD especially this year. After this years pictures are taken and the assessments are done, you can go back to mowing the lawn monthly and maybe rehang the gutters if the water is coming in the basement. If no water, then no worries.

All the photos being used in this year's assessment were taken from the Saber mass appraisal in 2002. They may sue Pictometry and Google, but bother doing anything now, the photo-taking was done by February.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Here is the article:

Fight against blight

As noted, likely the most important provision is the one which allows cities to go after the assets of absentee landlords for unpaid violations, rather than just place a lien on the property. This is an excellent idea, not just because it should cut down on the number of violations, but also because it should help reduce the incentive for landlords with lots of violations to just sit on properties rather than sell them.

Or just encourage more of them to incorporate.

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by Drover

Or just encourage more of them to incorporate.

I didn't read the new law, but the first thing I thought of was it will make them go LLC.

[gg]

Originally Posted by stburr91

I didn't read the new law, but the first thing I thought of was it will make them go LLC.

Yeah it is cheap to go the LLC route. No teeth in the bill and nothing will ever be done to improve anything. You start improving your rentals you might get hit with a reassessment and then it could kill you bottom line. Keeping things in slum state is the only option with the tax structure in place.

You both know the game. Smart posts.

[Pghuser]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

I live next door to a house that a guy bought to flip, and hasn't. I've been there for five years, and every year I have to call the city because the grass is 3 feet tall. The gutters are hanging off the house and the chimney is collapsing--I can only imagine what the inside looks like. Fingers crossed that this law will help do something.

Please don't take this the wrong way but why don't you just cut the grass? If after 3 years the owner hasn't done it why don't you just save yourself the trouble and just cut it yourself?

The city of Pgh can only go after the property owner through the courts. The city of Pgh does not just come out and cut grass in these sort of cases.

[Sideblinded]

Blame the people in the neighborhood and not the slumlord?

The non owner should cut the grass.. Let's go for broke! That same person (non owner) should replace the gutters and repair the chimney while they are at it.

It isn't simply a lawn.

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Can't wait till people attempt to exploit this and go after landlords personal assets because a light bulb is out.

It's the city that will take action. Not individuals.

Originally Posted by h_curtis

This so-called anti-blight law will do nothing. Landlords are interested in the bottom line and there is no incentive to improve property. If anything, there is incentive to make places look worse and worse due to school tax load.

Speak for yourself and/or the big slumlord groups (JJ.....), etc.
I am the landlord that I would love to have. Email me that something is wrong, it's fixed and while my maintenance buddies are there, they'll ask you if anything else needs to be looked at. And I do it from overseas.
My tenants stay 3-5 years and regret moving. I usually have grad students/med students or young professionals in the house.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Blame the people in the neighborhood and not the slumlord?

I used to fix the neighbor's home that was a mess when I lived on Stanton. You don't know the situation the that neighbor's home. For all we know the owner died? I see nothing wrong with a community take action to help the neighborhood out. It was a good suggestion. If you don't like what you see do something about it instead of sitting on your can. I clean the Highland Park Bridge walkway. People think I am nuts, but I ride my bike on it and know it will NEVER be cleaned, so I did something about it. I have done it for the past two years. I hate doing it, with all the gross litter that is dumped on it, but it is clean now.

[gg]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

My tenants stay 3-5 years and regret moving. I usually have grad students/med students or young professionals in the house.

Good your place is in an area suited for grad students, but 3-5 years isn't all that great. My rental does better than that.

The point was, the law will do nothing. You want to change things, change the way the property tax is done. It works in the opposite direction for areas to improve. No landlord in their right mind will fix up their places.

[BrianTH]

I've been a landlord for a few years (although we are now selling the property).

Anyway, the original bill had a provision that used to refer to corporations but it was amended to refer to associations and trust instead, and I frankly don't know what effect that provision and amendment has. But generally it is possible to "pierce the corporate veil" in some circumstances, and the plan above sounds like a classic case (forming an LLC with a single shareholder for the purpose of protecting that shareholder from the consequences of unlawful conduct). Finally, in addition to the portion about assets, the law also gives municipalities the right to deny new permits and such to owners who have a property in the jurisdiction with serious violations. So that is an alternative means of going after larger slumlords that doesn't require attaching their assets.