We bought our home in March of 09. We were told by the city that the property next to us is only zoned to be a duplex, a maximum of two families. After we moved in we found out that five familes were currently living on this property. Our neighbor had five seperate units and had been getting away with this for quite some time. We got police reports pertaining to this residence (there were almost fifty reports for this place in under a year), took photographs of the entire unit from our yard which clearly shows at least three seperate units, and had kept a record of the people who moved in and out of this residence and counted 11 different families that had come and gone in one year. That was quite a high turnover rate for a place that was supposed to only have two units.
With our proof, the city took him to court and he plead guilty to illigeal occupancy and was ordered to convert the five units into a two family duplex. He tore down the one small studio unit that used to be a patio, and then made it look like he only had 2 units by moving out the appliances in two of them and opening up a french door that supposedly connects two units and makes it look like just one, and also saying that the far east unit and the basement unit are one unit. It's rediculious! This is how he got away with it for so long, and now he's just doing it all over again.
Four months later he currently has two familes living there but just last night my husband and I saw another family moving into the middle unit. He went to the city to inform them that another family just moved in and they told my husband there was nothing they could do about it. That WE would have to gain proof of three or more units being rented out and that WE would have to take him to court!
What do we do now, we already thought we had proven it once, and now we have to find a way to do it again? Do we really have to take him to court over a city law? Shouldn't the city be doing there own job instead of asking us to do it for them? The city has to call and get permission from the owner to enter any of the units. What the owner then will do is clear out the extra apartments of all kitchen appliances and w/d units and open it up to look like one large unit. He rents to people who must allow him to do this so that they have a cheap place to rent. I've spoken to previous renters who have moved out and they have confirmed all of it.
What can steps can I take now to get this man to follow the law and do right, or what other actions can we take to get the city to take care of this issue! Please give some advice.
In the beginning I was alright with just two families, but after the year of hell we've been through, I'd love to see the whole addition torn down. Our entire backyard is lined with windows that can see everything we do out there. Three families can see into our yard. I found out through one of the police reports that they had to track down a unregistered sex offender in one unit that had been living there for about five months. I'm a stay at home mother and that was the last straw for me.
Help! What else can we do?
With our proof, the city took him to court and he plead guilty to illigeal occupancy and was ordered to convert the five units into a two family duplex. He tore down the one small studio unit that used to be a patio, and then made it look like he only had 2 units by moving out the appliances in two of them and opening up a french door that supposedly connects two units and makes it look like just one, and also saying that the far east unit and the basement unit are one unit. It's rediculious! This is how he got away with it for so long, and now he's just doing it all over again.
Four months later he currently has two familes living there but just last night my husband and I saw another family moving into the middle unit. He went to the city to inform them that another family just moved in and they told my husband there was nothing they could do about it. That WE would have to gain proof of three or more units being rented out and that WE would have to take him to court!
What do we do now, we already thought we had proven it once, and now we have to find a way to do it again? Do we really have to take him to court over a city law? Shouldn't the city be doing there own job instead of asking us to do it for them? The city has to call and get permission from the owner to enter any of the units. What the owner then will do is clear out the extra apartments of all kitchen appliances and w/d units and open it up to look like one large unit. He rents to people who must allow him to do this so that they have a cheap place to rent. I've spoken to previous renters who have moved out and they have confirmed all of it.
What can steps can I take now to get this man to follow the law and do right, or what other actions can we take to get the city to take care of this issue! Please give some advice.
In the beginning I was alright with just two families, but after the year of hell we've been through, I'd love to see the whole addition torn down. Our entire backyard is lined with windows that can see everything we do out there. Three families can see into our yard. I found out through one of the police reports that they had to track down a unregistered sex offender in one unit that had been living there for about five months. I'm a stay at home mother and that was the last straw for me.
Help! What else can we do?