Solid Waste Violation Ticket

[Nat C.]

I just wanted to share this story. It's amazing all the BS you have to watch out for as a property owner. I got a letter from an inspector that someone at a property I own had been involved in illegal dumping and I had to pay a $525 fine. I asked the tenants if they knew anything about it and they denied involvement. I tried calling the inspector every day for a month and only got a voicemail. I then went into the city. They informed me the inspectors phone was broken which is why I couldn't reach him. So I finally spoke to him and asked to know what evidence he had. He said he found a box of letters with my address dumped in rubbish on the side of the road. It was dumped about 20 miles from where the house is actually located. I asked for photographs. The photographs show letters with date stamps dated 2012. I did not buy this property until November 2014. Of course now I have to appeal it. I assume a tenant who lived there years ago had an old box of letters which they dumped when doing a clean out. Obviously not my responsibility as it wasn't my tenant. Another 'joy' of landlording.

[Steve Babiak]

The City of Philadelphia is another place that has a similar trash citation revenue stream. For failure to recycle, for putting trash out too early, for not using proper trash containers, etc. And the people who live on a given block know which houses are rentals, so those rentals get "dumped on" by the neighbors - because the landlords can "afford the fines" ...