Absentee Landlords

There are alot of good absentee landlords in District 4. The problem is the one or two absentee landlords in every neighborhood that can completely ruin the neighborhood. In the my area I can think of two landlords, one who has been in WoMag (picture to the right links to most recent story) every time they list the ten worst properties, and another who between them own approximately 10-15 parcels. Every one is a complete mess.

A concerted effort that targets the one or two bad landlords in every neighborhood and aggressively pursue corrections of all existing code violations would help the quality of life for those who need to live near or next to these properties. A few years back, I read a report from the Worcester Regional Research , entitled Revitalizing Worcester Neighborhoods. It was excellent, give it a quick read.


Amongst many things it recommended was a Dirty Dozen Program similar to one set up by the City of Toledo. I believe the City of Worcester, not WoMag, has a Top Ten Problem Properties Task Force, but when is the last time you have seen this list?? Instead of a new ordinance lets make the Top Ten Problem Properties highly visible and put the full force of the City Manager Enforcement Team (CMET) focused on these ten properties.