Cockroaches, Drug-Use Waste: Renters Say Landlord Repeatedly Ignored Safety Concerns
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Cockroaches crawling on the floor. Drug litter in the hallway. Those are just some of the safety concerns renters say their landlord repeatedly ignored.
WCCO checked into what rights tenants have and the problems we found with the landlord in the past.
The move made sense in November, an apartment on Harriet Avenue for $900 a month in the heart of Uptown close to her son.
Jessica Weinheimer's mind has changed after what she documented for months.
"It's just scary," Weinheimer said. "The day I moved in there were cockroaches everywhere."
First, Jessica says it was roaches, then items used to do drugs. Like a razor blade and knife.
"There's caps to needles, there's alcohol swab papers, there's tinfoil with black circles. It's just trashed," Weinheimer said.
They are concerns she says she contacted the landlord about before.
"They just don't really seem to care," she said.
But when Jessica learned homeless people had camped out in the stairwell, it was her last straw.
"I don't feel safe here anymore," she said.
Persaud Properties owns the 40 unit property, When Terry Persaud called us back he said there weren't any problems.
But, we found six violations from just two weeks ago. From a call for an exterminator to security doors and electrical repair needed.
WCCO noted more than 200 violations at the building under Persaud's management over the last 15 years.
"You're proud of that being a building many people call home?" we asked.
That's when Persaud hung up.
"I don't want to move. I'd like him to be accountable for what he's done," Weinheimer said.
Jessica isn't sure what she'll do next. Still hoping her landlord steps up.
"If he would do something about things or be more present that would fix. I feel it would fix a lot of people's issues here," Weinheimer said.
So what can renters do if landlords don't make repairs?
One option involves paying your rent to a court until problems are fixed.
For more information on your rights or to search violations on other rental properties check out the links below:
To search Minneapolis inspection records click here.
