Editor:
For the past two decades I have often helped a couple of landlords clean and repair after renters have left.
It’s bad enough that some renters haven’t paid their rent for a month or two, to the point of court eviction, so the landlord has lost the rent and court fees, but then they are stuck for a water bill that has accumulated for multiple months as well. That’s not fair.
And the renters are angry because they are evicted, even though they know it is justified and legal, so they cause a lot of extra damage to the premises, which the landlord must clean and repair, which is another month’s rent lost. Or more.
People complain that rents are high, but the landlord has to charge enough to cover all this financial distress… they still pay a mortgage, taxes and insurance on the place as well.
The landlord has already taken a lot of loss, and didn’t use the water. The city can turn off the water if they aren’t paid, just like electricity or garbage service. If they let the bills run overdue more than two weeks, they should just turn it off. The users will soon decide whether beer and toys come first, or water.
It is not the landlord’s choice; he or she can’t turn it off. It is out of his or her control, so should not be held responsible for someone else’s dereliction. It is under the city’s control, so let the city take the loss, if they aren’t keeping a close eye on overdue bills. That is their responsibility. Maybe they need to charge a bit more for water, to cover these losses, just like the landlord hikes the rent.
Some current rules/laws might need to be revised to include common sense. And that includes a Northside Park caretaker.
Was man made for the Sabbath, to keep rules? No, Sabbath was made for man, because God knew he needed it, which is reality, and similarly rules/laws need to be for the logical service to the people, not a god in themselves to enslave man to “principles” with little connection to reality on site.
Joan Scofield
Sweet Home