District 1 Neighbors

i was wondering if any other neighbors are concerned about the rentals on their blocks. i live on rose between walsh and weide and have noticed that all of the police calls have been to the rental properties. also the rental houses on this block are in serious disrepair. is their a ''nice'' way to contact the owners of some of these rentals and see if they can start doing some repairs. anyone who lives on my street has noticed that 1/4 of the shingles have been missing from the roof of 752 have been missing for over 2 years. i am not trying to sound snooty but, we all want the neighborhood to look nice and be safe. missing shingles and unmowed lawns make it look like we don't care. these houses are great and if everyone did their part on their own house and helped other if needed, our area could be more like the highland or merriam park neighborhoods. the houses in those neighborhoods are similar to ours in both size and style yet, they sell for twice as much. if everyone chips in, we can have a great neighborhood.

By anon

There's a solution!

Hi

All properties in Saint Paul are subject to enforceable code and maintainence standards. Rental and owner occupied housing are alike held to this standard. The city system is a complaint driven system - meaning neighbors need to call in complaints with the specific address of the concern. Your call can be anonymous but you will need to give the address of the house in question. The enforceable standards can be found on the City of Saint Paul website. The Neighborhood Housing and Property Improvement Department is responsible for follow through. Just make your call to 651-266-8989 - the Citizen Service Office. Give detailed information. Then - after a week - look up ''Property Information'' on the City website and see if a response has been logged to your report. You put in the address of the property in question to see about how this was followed up.

We encourage all neighbors to get to know each other. If you find that local renters are having trouble with a landlord - you might want to refer them to some of the tenant advocacy resources we have available. Call 774-5234 for more information. The property owner is ultimately responsible for the maintainence of property and the behavior of tenants. We have a range of resources and information for landlords as well. We encourage you to come to District Five meetings - join the Foot Patrol or organize one in your neighborhood. We have hired Officer Rigo Aguirre - who is helping residents organize foot patrols and neighborhood watches in their area.

Call me if you have any further questions or concerns - we are here to help!