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Landlord change would be harmful

By Staff | Jun 5, 2016

Regarding the change to the way the city handles landlords: Giving landlords only 10 days to make non-safety repairs (cracked glass, chipped paint, dented vinyl, old weather stripping, etc.) before a $50 fine is levied is cruel and unusual treatment. Ever had a contractor start a job and then disappear? Or even get one to give a quote on 10 days’ notice? The urgency to prevent daily new fines from piling up after 10 days skyrockets the repair costs, which forces landlords to raise rents for the money, hurting consumers.

All landlords are asking for is 30 days to correct repairs that are not life-threatening, but the aldermanic committee refused. So if the aldermen vote for passage, the fine for repeated daily minor infractions would be the same for a leaky gas line or dangerous wiring. Minor repairs and ones that are critical should not be on the same timetable.

Instead of the city taking a landlord to court to determine guilt prior to issuing a fine, which is now the law, this new law will allow the city to issue a fine at the code officer’s discretion, which allows selective enforcement. Then the landlord will have to take the city to court to prove innocence. The city will have shifted legal costs onto the landlord to defend himself or herself.

The ramifications of the bill, because of two bad local landlords, will be massive for good, hard-working landlords and tenants who are struggling.

Bradley Whitney

Nashua

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