We're still at it with this Rental Inspection Program (RIP). You may recall reading the following line in Joe's letter to the editor that didn't get published. He did post it on his Facebook, and we've taken it upon ourselves to continue to inform our readers that he, and the VFM crew, are in fact the ones spreading misinformation.
Our last blog post (R.I.P. Vote for Meadville) focused on the fact that they're not pushing for safe housing for ALL dwellings in the City, just focusing on rental units. Also, the lack of information given to citizens regarding the existing Property Maintenance Code and Blighted Property Review Committee. As well as, the other costs that could be associated with running such a program, costs that they are not considering.
Quick thought..
If an owner occupied dwelling, be it single family or otherwise, that would not be inspected by this program, has a fire due to exposed wiring. What is the likelihood that a neighboring house also see's damage? If the fire department response time is slow, or they didn't have smoke detectors and it went unnoticed until the house was engulfed in flame, chances are pretty high that neighboring homes would also see damage.
A comment Joe makes under is post states the following, proving our point that they would leave out some properties. Even though they would be considered rental units..
So, it doesn't matter if for example Joe, who owns a property and lives in one side and makes money off the other side by renting it, has holes in his roof. They could structure it so it doesn't focus on those types of places. What then is the protection for the renter in that situation?
Let's now refer back to some of the thing's Joe supposedly see's in rental units..
So, not only do we have an updated Property Maintenance Code, we also have the BPRC. On top of that, there's the Implied Warranty of Habitability. Why aren't they telling anyone about this?
Here's a basic fact for you;
The PA Supreme Court has ensured that tenants have the right to a decent place to live. This guarantee to decent housing is called the Implied Warrant of Habitability.
Arguably, there are other homes in the City that have these issues as well. If this is about safety, they should be making us aware of all of the resources out there already to protect us. Instead, they choose to push their agenda at the expense of those they supposedly aim to protect. If you care, you should be sharing this info! Which mind you, we got directed to look into by digging on Marcy's campaign page...
Well, holy crap, that talks about ALL of the issues they state they are seeing in rentals.
Now that we've established that tenants are already covered by Property Maintenance Code, BPRC and the Implied Warranty of Habitability, we need to know what to do if we have these issues.
The main thing needed, make the landlord aware. Do so in writing, date the letters and be very specific. If your landlord provides an email for communication, maybe you email them and then follow up with a written letter mailed to them. Whatever the means of communication, document it. This is an important and necessary step.
Let's look now at this bold LIE that Joe is throwing out there..
"Pennsylvania law prevents your landlord from evicting you in retaliation because you exercised your right properly under the warranty of habitability."
Take note of the word PROPERLY, follow the guidelines above and seek PROPER LEGAL COUNSEL. There is a proper process, if you follow it, you will be protected. If you do not exercise your rights properly, you could potentially be evicted for breaching your lease.
And once again, if people are "unable to afford the legal resources to fight back"
There are resources to help there to! Which we will provide yet again;
Their posts and platform seem to be missing some information. Information that is valuable to the protections available to us as renters. We deserve to know about these programs and resources, so why is the VFM crew not telling us about these? Why are they not making reports if they allegedly come across these types of problems when they're out knocking on doors? This blog isn't misinformation, this is a fact. They are not about safe housing for all, they are about offering a false sense of action by leaving out vital information in regards to protections that already exist.
The final bit of information we would like to provide you with is the information of who to contact within our City to report Property Maintenance Code violations.
Important note: None of the information contained within this blog post is a replacement for proper legal counsel.
Comments