Do Vermont landlords need more protection?

old damaged chairFor 28 years, Walker has been a landlord, renting one unit in Warren. Until now, he’s been blessed with good tenants.

“You’ve got to watch your step,” said Walker.

Now, a maggot-infested trash heap blocks the path to the front door.

“There’s a nice little odor in the air. A sweet pungent smell of rotting trash,” said Walker.

Inside, the mess isn’t much better.

“I feel incredibly bad for the children raised in a situation like this,” said Walker.

Walker says he rented to a couple. They didn’t mention kids, their dogs or the string of other adults crashing on the couch. Last week, sheriffs escorted five people off the property in the last leg of an 11-month eviction process.

“I have no income coming in. I can’t afford to fix the place. I can’t afford to try to get another tenant in,” said Walker.

Walker is one of an estimated 6,000 landlords statewide. He complains eviction in Vermont takes too long. And while the process plays out in court, he’s barred from warning other landlords about the tenant.

“I’m tongue-tied by the court action. I can’t do anything,” said Walker.

Except dwell on the $15,000 repair bill, $7,000 in back rent and the dilemma of what to do with all the stuff.

“There’s clothes underneath. They’ve been stored outside. Is that of value? To me it’s trash,” said Walker.

“It’s not the landlord’s concern as to how messy a tenant may or may not be,” said Jonathan Bond, Vermont Tenants director.

Vermont Tenants is a statewide advocacy group for renters. He says that every business comes with risks, and as long as units are safe and returned in their original conditions, landlords cannot micromanage cleanliness.

“There’s a certain cost of doing business. Needing to rent a home to live in is not a choice. Choosing to buy a rental so someone else can pay your mortgage is a choice,” said Bond.

Vermont law says after an eviction, landlords can toss tenants’ personal property after 15 days. But if renters abandon the unit, the landlord must sort garbage from belongings and store items of value for 60 days.

“The pendulum seems to have swung incredibly toward the tenant,” said Walker.

Walker wants more protections and a registry for both slumlords and bad tenants. Bond agrees there’s an imbalance, but believes it swings in the landlord’s favor.

“A landlord will be out money in the process of an eviction. However, the person who is being evicted then becomes homeless,” said Bond.

“I think it’s very challenging to find a balance,” said Rep. Adam Greshin, I-Fayston.

Greshin says it’s a decades-old power struggle. Vermont’s tenant-landlord laws were written 30 years ago. And most attempts to revise them die in committee every legislative session.

“Maybe we have the correct rules and regulations, but I think expedition would be very handy,” said Greshin.

He worries if landlords don’t feel supported, Vermont’s affordable housing shortage will only get worse. Walker says he’s a good example.

“This place will never be rented again. Absolutely, no way,” said Walker.

After this nightmare, Walker is permanently pulling his $600 a month unit from the rental market.

Source: wcax.com