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by John_Deutzman from New York City

Last Post 25 days, 3 hours Ago


Angry Inspector
Oct 6, 2008 | 9:59 PM
Category: News
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This was one of the stranger stories we've done in a while but here are the elements of the three-ring circus in this Queens neighborhood:

1. City: Has fined building more than $160,000 for all kinds of violations. Can't do much more then fine the guy. Inspector seems wound up like a top.

2. Guy with building: Claims the city's lack of help has caused the disgraceful appearance of his building. Says because of all the fines he can't get a loan to fix the place up and can't even sell it because of all the fines attached to the property.

3. Neighbor: Owns buildings on each side of the eyesore. She's mad at the guy with the building and the city for not taking any action.

Given the above, do you have any ideas? And what's your opinion of the visit by the inspector?

John

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Member Comments Total Comments: 13
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shinri
Oct 6, 2008 | 10:32 PM

If the owner has so many fines, why can't the city put a lien on the building?

The building inspector looks like he was probably drumk.
lilmc113
Oct 6, 2008 | 10:36 PM

The guy with the building is living like a pig. The city should hire the big bad wolf, to huff and puff, and blow his house down!

Caroline, White Plains - NY
shoregirl501
Oct 6, 2008 | 10:36 PM

I don't think that the building inspector needs sensitivity training--I commend him for his restraint!! The condition of the building is an outrage and the building owner is a menace to his neighborhood. I would be furious if I lived near this excuse for a home. Perhaps an engineering inspection instructed by the courts would be helpful. I don't understand how a person can rack up $160,000 in fines and still be out walking on the streets. He should be forced to allow entry into the building to prove that it is unfit for habitation. This building should be torn down. The owner should be in jail for the costs to the city, the lack of payment of his fines, and the trouble to his neighbors.
jmax123 read my blog view my photos
Oct 6, 2008 | 10:36 PM

That is a really tough judgement call. The building is an eye-sore, but he has his legal bundle of rights on his side----until his fines age to the point where they can foreclose on him.
How old are the fines? Usually after two years the investor of such liens can foreclose.
It appears like he is trying to get even with the city by not making any effort to repair anything. A bucket of exterior paint doesn't cost much.
He really should speak to an attorney since he seems to have an attachment to the building as it has been in his family for so long.
Good thing Ernie mentioned the inspector got spanked after, he is too untactful and acts unprofessionally.

Jane
John_Deutzman read my blog
Oct 7, 2008 | 1:34 AM

Hi,

The basic concept that a man's home is his castle is probably one of the most powerful ideas in law. I think that's the root of the problem. It's very difficult to take a place away from someone if they are still living there.
Jane, the fines started about 10 years ago but he keep getting fined for the same exact thing. A settlement might allow the city to erase all but the original fines so he'd able to fix the place up or sell it.
jmax123 read my blog view my photos
Oct 7, 2008 | 8:56 AM

I am surprised they didn't sell his liens to investors who pay them off and earn interest at the homneowners expense.
I have been to a tax lien sale before, out of curiosity, and was surprised that the bidding starts to earn 18% interest, then actually goes under 0%-----meaning the bidder pays a flat-rate premium in the thousands to own the lien! They were bidding like wolves, passing 0% on all of them, in hopes of foreclosing on these homes in 2-years.
If they did do this, I know his neighbor would be the highest bidder.

Jane
Sanctus read my blog view my photos
Oct 7, 2008 | 11:01 AM

I missed the story last night as I feel into a blissful sleep at 10PM and it looks like I missed a good one. This is just another example of inept local government that talks a good game but fails to get concrete results. If he has been getting fines for 10 years and not paying them, what the hell? Why does he still own the property? The fines are obviously about as effective as the UN is in keeping the world safe. Change the law so that if fines are not paid in 2 years (unless there are legitimate mitigating circumstances), the property gets seized from the owner and sold to somebody responsible enough to agree to make the needed repairs. The city gets added revenue, the neighborhood loses an eyesore and the residents get what they should have gotten 10 years ago. Enough already with these irresponsible property owners. Why to we coddle these fools?

Daniel
Sanctus read my blog view my photos
Oct 7, 2008 | 11:02 AM

Why do, not why to!
MIKEMORGA read my blog
Oct 8, 2008 | 12:38 PM

#I SUSPEND FINES #2 HAVE CITY FIX ALL VIOLATIONS.#3HAVE OWNER PAY CITY FOR FIXING BUILING,THROUGH TAXES
John_Deutzman read my blog
Oct 8, 2008 | 12:56 PM

Mike,

I think the city might go for dropping the fines with q guarantee to fix or sell.

John
Silver711
Oct 8, 2008 | 9:44 PM

I deal with city inspector on a daily basis and I must say that the NYC Dept of Building has to be one of the worst agencies in this city. Our tax dollars are being spent on unprofessional, angry, revengefull, ignorant inspector that are clueless to Codes. I have called on several occasions for information on certain construction codes and I am always and I mean always given the wrong answers. The City has gone on a ticket bliss, they are worse than the traffic cops and most of the violation written are wrong. Some on should investigate them.
vladimir234
Oct 9, 2008 | 1:00 PM

You're all operating under the assumption that the owner is rational. He is a FREAK!!! My girlfriend and I lived two buidlings to the right of this house until we moved out in 2005. The owner has been approached a multitude of times from people offering him crazy money for his place, but he's a nut...he get's off telling them no and walking around like a proud peacock saying "I'm the owner". The place is a pigsty..literally.

I have seen him walking around outside, staring at the facade moving his head up and down for 10-15 minutes at a time, then walking in to the door, then he comes out a few minutes later locking it up.
Rodney_Hart read my blog view my photos
Oct 14, 2008 | 3:30 PM

The neighbor is reporting him. He should just sell the building and cut his losses.
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John_Deutzman

John Deutzman, a New York native, has been working as a reporter at Fox 5 News since September of 2001. John has won 12 career Emmys and has received 28 Emmy nominations. He's known for his aggressive and at times humorous style when catching bad guys and exposing scams for the Fox 5 Investigative Unit. John's stories have resulted in arrests, businesses being shut down and dozens victims getting their money back from scam artists. Before moving back to New York, John spent 11 years in Miami, first as a sports reporter but when hurricane Andrew struck, John was thrown into news reporting and evenutally made the full time switch to news. John also had stints in Binghamton,New York and Springfield,Massachusetts
. A native of Smithtown,Long Island, John is an 11th-generation Long Islander. He describes himself as a 50/50 mix of his two grandfathers. One grandfather was a journalist who owned the town paper, the "Smithtown Messenger" and the other was one of the first cops in town who had a reputation for being tough and crazy but fair.

Member Since: 6/1/2006