Posted on 07/02/2002 9:14:32 PM PDT by FreedomFriend
Edited on 04/13/2004 1:39:42 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
TRENTON, N.J.
(Excerpt) Read more at usatoday.com ...
A lady I know masterminded a zoning code enforcement effort that forced a bunch of out-of-state apartment owners to fix their places or tear them down. Crime has went down since she got the city's attention about it. That may be one way to counteract some of it.
We have a neighbor from some country that likes to live in brightly-colored houses. They painted their two-story BRICK house a limey-blue green and trimmed it in a bright royal blue. We were pulling our hair out. Last week, I noticed some painters were giving it a fresh coat of dull old beige with white trim. I actually got out of my car and thanked the painters. I guess the Neighborhood Beautification Patrol must have finally got to them.
You know, back at the turn of the last century, when my Polish great-grandparents moved to Michigan, they were handed a book on how to settle the land, build a house and they were also about the local American living standards. Not only were they encouraged to learn English but they were also given a heads up on how to fit in with their new neighbors. They were taught to be good citizens.
As it stands, there is no easy answer. However, immigration has to be halted for a while, and illegals need to be deported. After those two things are done, we can work to solve the many other ills that unrestrained immigration and illegal immigration has brought to America.
I'm finding so much of this info on this thread to be fascinating and this is of yours is of particular interest to me, as I am considering doing something along these lines.
When I moved into my home 10 years ago, it was a pretty run-down neighborhood mix of 60 owner occupied, rentals and Section 8 townhouse units. Well after a summer of real trouble a bunch of us got together and did the neighborhood watch thing and things started leveling out and calming down. The city was cracking down on code violations, etc.
Different people moved out and in and the cohesion kind of eroded.
It is amazing how tied are the hands of the City Inspection Department and the police department. I'm on a first name basis with half the people in both departments at this point.
I'm not looking at retirement, but I am looking at suing some of the slumlord landlords and naming the city as co-defenents. I have an end unit with 3 vacant units attached to me and so can't sell my place. And the city can't do a bloody thing about it.
I'm losing money every day that I can't sell and they just increased the txable appraisd value on it by 32%. The same city that can't deal with the problems.
sorry for my rant
They don't for one stop and think that they have placed an unfair burden on Americans with their selfishness, not to mention unlawful activity. They don't think about how Americans have been forced out of their neighborhoods as a result of the flood of illegals who refuse to assimilate and adapt to American culture. They still want to be Mexicans, etc. I wish they would get over this "motherland" stuff, for if they wanted to come here, they should be American first and America only. I don't know how many times I've driven by a car and seen a Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Brazilian, etc. flag hanging from the rear view mirror. Yet, there is often not one trace of an American flag on the car. What gives?
Furthermore, thank you for your kind words.
killed my credit, but it was worth it (i don't miss the 9:30 p.m. calls letting me know their pilot light went out or another excuse as to why one cannot pay their $80 share of the rent).
i say to all (and especially those who have vacant units ) who complain about so-called "slumlords," just ATTEMPT to find a decent, law-abiding, pay the rent on time tenant for your house/unit. it's a needle in a haystack in most urban areas.
I was the only individual who ever cut the grass, and when I went home for the summer, one of my roommates subleased the apartment for summer quarter. What happened is that the subleese's dog had urinated all over the carpets. Unfortunately, we didn't get our deposit back.
College students can be just as bad.
Believe me, I know exactly what you mean.
Monday I spent more than 45 minutes on the phone with the number 2 in command at the Inspections Department, after an earlier 30 minutes with an Inspector in my dining room.
Yesteday it was the Sergeant in charge of parking regulations.
Today it was the Detective in charge of the Drug Unit.
I admit, my front flower bed and herb garden desperately need to be weeded at the moment - however I at least have them. But considering the heat we have been dealing with, even the Inspector told me not to worry about it - the weeds aren't that bad - at the same time he was making notes on all the vacant units.
If it takes a squeaky whell to get the grease - I guess I'm going to turn into a 55 gallon barrel.
You wannaa bet?????
That's exactly what I'm doing, but I'm using them to do it for me.
I'm not a landlord - I'm an owner occupier. Have been for 10 years, today to be exact.
Not only are we trying to sell to move out of this neighborhood, we're moving out of state. We do not have the wherewithal, unless we hit the lottery this week, to buy a place in Virginia and leave this one to the Realtor in Delaware. Owe too much on it.
I understand exactly what you are saying about the repairs, I have several friends that were landlords in the past and some are currently. I've helped making a lot of those repairs.
The thing about the lure of section 8 is the landlord is guaranteed the monthly rent. And even though he has to make the repairs to damage caused by the tenant - he still gets his money.
Because I'm in the City limits, there is a different set of regs for the Section 8 housing. In fact as an owner-occupant I'm under stricter guidelines of how I have to maintain my property than are the landlords utilizing Section 8.
Wonderful state of affairs, isn't it?
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