Code: PC Landlords Have Ignored 199 Inspection Notices

Owners of 199 properties in Port Chester have refused repeated inspection notices, according to the Department of Code Enforcement.

The next step? Inspectors will drag those landlords into court.

The figure was revealed last week during a quarterly code enforcement update by Asisstant Village Manager Christopher Steers. It's an important development in a village plagued by fire safety hazards, and a signal that housing inspectors aren't letting landlords slip through the cracks when it comes to enforcement.

And it might save lives. After a year in which the majority of major fires were caused by -- or revealed -- serious fire safety hazards, local leaders say some of those fires could have been prevented if landlords heeded inspection notices.

That was the case this summer, when a fire shuttered businesses and apartments at 44-48 N. Main St. A subsequent investigation revealed landlord Harry Hedvat had ignored a series of inspection notices dating back to July of 2010.

That incident, and similar fires in the village, have prompted some elected leaders to seek mandatory inspections before property changes hands. Some have also said it's pure luck that none of the fires resulted in deaths. 

In a comment on Port Chester Patch, Trustee Bart Didden noted it's "not just the innocent tenants in those buildings, but what about our police and firemen that go running into those burning buildings to save the life of a stranger?"

Landlords who have ignored inspection notices will get court dates after already-overburdened code and building staff work their way through the necessary paperwork. But moving the cases to court could put teeth into the effort to get landlords to comply.

Not everyone's happy about the ongoing enforcement efforts, including lawyers. Steers said he's heard from attorneys at the local bar association who think the penalties are "too stiff, too punitive."

"My answer to them has been...if you're in court, you've earned your way there, and it is supposed to be punitive," he said.

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