Sep 02
A legal battle between the City of Saint Paul and a handful of landlords could force the city to pay millions.
It all centers around code enforcement.
The city says it was trying to make sure housing is safe and sanitary. Landlords who are part of the suit say the city went too far, hurting their rental business, hurting people who need affordable housing.
Twelve St. Paul landlords claim the city’s aggressive code enforcement forced them to make expensive unnecessary repairs. They say the enforcement also forced them to cut back or sell out and that hurt affordable housing in St. Paul.
via KSTP TV – Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Aug 24
WILKES-BARRE – It appears that a lawsuit a hotel owner filed against the city of Wilkes-Barre and its code enforcement officer can head to trial.
The owner of the now-vacant Red Carpet Inn, located at 400 Kidder St., filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in July 2008 claiming that the city and Code Enforcement Officer Frank Kratz violated his civil rights by effectively forcing the hotel out of business.
via The Times Leader.
Aug 18
“I’ve talked to about 30 [landlords],” Sambrano said. “As soon as I tell them I’m a felon, they say, ‘Can’t do it.’ ”
via The Salt Lake Tribune.
Jul 28
In a careful opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Jane J. Boyle determined that Ordinance 2952 was preempted by federal law. The Court resoundingly rejected the City's claim that it had the authority to regulate the residence of noncitizens within its borders. Noting that the City Building Inspector would be charged with interpreting and applying immigration information to prospective tenants, the court concluded that Ordinance 2952 “is an invalid regulation of immigration” and that the “Ordinance stands as an obstacle to the uniform application of federal immigration law[.]”
via MALDEF
Jul 27
City of Milwaukee officials warned Tuesday that landlords need to dig in and clean up their rental units that were damaged in Thursday’s flood.
The Department of Neighborhood Services received more than 100 calls Tuesday. Perhaps three-quarters of them were from tenants, complaining from obvious flood damage such as a sewage smell in their basements, plaster falling from their walls or curling on their wall panels.
via - JSOnline.
Jul 09
[T]he federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program pays governments to rehab and re-sell foreclosures, but in Holden Heights on Wednesday Orange County knocked down an abandoned property and is leaving behind an empty lot.
The property on 41st Street in Orange County has racked up $300,000 in code enforcement fines since November 2009
via WFTV.
Jun 18
A Cook County couple say they were severely burned after a BRK Brands smoke detector failed to work.
via Courthouse News Service.
May 23
The jury found that Layne retaliated against Kern by denying a certificate of occupancy in 2006 for a house she and her husband had been trying to sell on East Valley Road. Kern had been critical of Layne’s work as building inspector.
via Rockland.
