What folks are missing is that if the landlord puts the utilities in their name, there is no way for the city to find out that the property is a rental and not owner occupied. This is how the slumlords in Warren get away with not having valid dwelling permits and not having to pay the $80 registration fee. I don't know about the Sec 8 program in Youngstown, but I can tell you that Sec 8 is very strict in Trumbull County. Your homes must be up to their code or they will not pass.
I have great tenants for the most part and treat my tenants like customers. When a bad one does slip through my background screening, they are gone. I do not put up with any issues from my tenants. The neighbors all have my business card and know they can call me anytime and I will be there within 30 mins to address the issue. You have to be hands on and run it like a business.
Giving poor people my money to buy at house that they cannot afford!!! Isn't this exactly how we got into this mess to begin with? It was the Community Reinvestment Act. Which forced banks to lend to people who could not afford a mortgage payment and who should have remained renters. How many times do we have to go down this path of creating social programs for people who simply have no desire to take care of themselves. Your mayor should be tarred and feathered.
I am a landlord in Warren and I currently pay a yearly registration fee of $81.00 per unit and we have yearly inspections. All of my tenants either work full time or are part time workers and full time students. My homes are clean, well kept and safe. All of my tenants have to pass a strict background check and I collect rents in person every month and then inspect my rentals. My monthly rents range from $400 to $600 per month.
I can tell you that if Warren ever tried to pass a $1000 registration fee, I would be out of business. I cannot pass that cost down to my renters. They will pick up and move out of the city to a cheaper place. Warren would then have even more empty homes sitting vacant. I spend a great deal of money rehabbing these homes after purchase and maintaining them.
All of the neighbors know how to contact me, if they have any complaints and they are much happier having a nice home with a nice tenant living next to them, then a vacant crack house. If your intentions are to get rid of the slumlords, then start inspecting these homes more often and shut the slumlords down. This will allow property investors such as myself to increase rents and demand better tenants. If you enact this $1000 yearly fee it will be the death of your community.
To punish good landlords because you fail to act on the irresponsible ones is ridiculous. Start a yearly inspection policy and you will see the slumlords and out of state landlords run from your community and this will provide the good landlords a level playing field.
Owners find that old buildings come with strings attached
CS.. If you owned any property near a Fannie or Freddie home, you would see they don't cut the grass.
February 9, 2011 at 12:39 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Real estate group: City wasting time, money
What folks are missing is that if the landlord puts the utilities in their name, there is no way for the city to find out that the property is a rental and not owner occupied. This is how the slumlords in Warren get away with not having valid dwelling permits and not having to pay the $80 registration fee. I don't know about the Sec 8 program in Youngstown, but I can tell you that Sec 8 is very strict in Trumbull County. Your homes must be up to their code or they will not pass.
I have great tenants for the most part and treat my tenants like customers. When a bad one does slip through my background screening, they are gone. I do not put up with any issues from my tenants. The neighbors all have my business card and know they can call me anytime and I will be there within 30 mins to address the issue. You have to be hands on and run it like a business.
October 5, 2010 at 11:27 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Real estate group: City wasting time, money
And yes.. Our section 8 rentals have to be inspected by HUD and the Warren Health Dept every year.
October 1, 2010 at 1:26 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Real estate group: City wasting time, money
20 bucks?? Trying being a landlord in Warren. Those rat's charge us $80 bucks a year.
October 1, 2010 at 1:24 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Landlords object to plan for fees
Giving poor people my money to buy at house that they cannot afford!!! Isn't this exactly how we got into this mess to begin with? It was the Community Reinvestment Act. Which forced banks to lend to people who could not afford a mortgage payment and who should have remained renters. How many times do we have to go down this path of creating social programs for people who simply have no desire to take care of themselves. Your mayor should be tarred and feathered.
December 24, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. permalink suggest removal
Landlords object to plan for fees
I am a landlord in Warren and I currently pay a yearly registration fee of $81.00 per unit and we have yearly inspections. All of my tenants either work full time or are part time workers and full time students. My homes are clean, well kept and safe. All of my tenants have to pass a strict background check and I collect rents in person every month and then inspect my rentals. My monthly rents range from $400 to $600 per month.
I can tell you that if Warren ever tried to pass a $1000 registration fee, I would be out of business. I cannot pass that cost down to my renters. They will pick up and move out of the city to a cheaper place. Warren would then have even more empty homes sitting vacant. I spend a great deal of money rehabbing these homes after purchase and maintaining them.
All of the neighbors know how to contact me, if they have any complaints and they are much happier having a nice home with a nice tenant living next to them, then a vacant crack house. If your intentions are to get rid of the slumlords, then start inspecting these homes more often and shut the slumlords down. This will allow property investors such as myself to increase rents and demand better tenants. If you enact this $1000 yearly fee it will be the death of your community.
To punish good landlords because you fail to act on the irresponsible ones is ridiculous. Start a yearly inspection policy and you will see the slumlords and out of state landlords run from your community and this will provide the good landlords a level playing field.
December 23, 2009 at 10:48 a.m. permalink suggest removal