Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 56 posts · 45 votes
So i got a court notice yesterday from the county regarding a "criminal" offense that could result in jail time. Obviously I freaked out and after talking to a few lawyers I was really surprised. In one of my properties the tenant left a trash can outside before 12:00, this was considered a health violation which is also a misdemeanor. I have 7 days from the day the mail was sent to plead guilty and pay a $510 dollar fine.
I then got a separate health code violation for the "waste" in the garbage can which was outside before 12:00. This is another $510 dollar fine and also a criminal offense.
Since i live outside the state it took longer than 7 days for me to get the mail. So i'm forced to hire a lawyer to show up in court to address the issue. Every lawyer i spoke to said the same thing, they don't have to give warnings and lately the county seems to be targeting LLC's holding property.
I haven't read every response in this thread, but seems like this issue may have been resolved.
I had a similar issue last year in Parma OH with the city fining $150 for a garbage can out one day later than it supposed to be. The property is in my name, not an LLC. I was livid about such pettiness from the city. In any case, I called the local council woman and she actually got it handled for me! I didn't have to go to court or pay the fine. She was awesome! But I just wanted to share this as another option if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation.
Investor · Thousand Oaks, CA · Member since 2016 · 126 posts · 47 votes
7y
I just got a court notice because tenant didn't cut grass. I called housing court and was told the fine is $510! This happened in a single family house in Cleveland.
This is a duplex in Clark Fulton. I know it is tempting to assume that since i got citied my PM isn't taking care of the property but I use a 3rd party service to check my properties randomly. Moreover I have multiple units throughout the city for years, none with a single issue.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised in the tenant left a trash can outside for a few days, I've personally done this at my own home when traveling. I'm just not sure two $510 fines , without a warning, is really a reasonable response.
Hi Jonathan
I got a similar criminal compliant for trash left by tenant outside home. Can you plz tell what James Wise did? did you pay the fine.
Seattle, WA · Member since 2014 · 56 posts · 45 votes
7y
The Holton-Wise legal team managed to get the fine dropped a bit but I still had to pay it, plus legal fees. I sold the property on the corner lot to avoid running into this issue again.
So i got a court notice yesterday from the county regarding a "criminal" offense that could result in jail time. Obviously I freaked out and after talking to a few lawyers I was really surprised. In one of my properties the tenant left a trash can outside before 12:00, this was considered a health violation which is also a misdemeanor. I have 7 days from the day the mail was sent to plead guilty and pay a $510 dollar fine.
I then got a separate health code violation for the "waste" in the garbage can which was outside before 12:00. This is another $510 dollar fine and also a criminal offense.
Since i live outside the state it took longer than 7 days for me to get the mail. So i'm forced to hire a lawyer to show up in court to address the issue. Every lawyer i spoke to said the same thing, they don't have to give warnings and lately the county seems to be targeting LLC's holding property.