EASTON, Pa. — Potential changes to Easton’s property regulations could push landlords to take a more attentive role in policing their rental units in an effort to reduce illegal drug activity and violent crime.
A new amendment to sections of the city’s rental properties regulations, introduced to City Council by Councilman Frank Pintabone on Wednesday, will add criteria to evict tenants for suspected criminal activity, in an act the politician said hopefully will reduce crime.
The proposed amendment will be voted on in coming weeks.
According to the listed changes, if criminal activity is suspected in a rental unit, and a search warrant has been obtained for the unit for police to “eradicate the suspected criminal activity,” the property owner will be required to vacate and notify government housing subsidy providers.
Eviction proceedings require that:
“There is suspected criminal activity occurring in, about, or attached to a specific regulated rental unit within the City of Easton and,
A search warrant has been obtained through an affidavit of probable cause for such criminal activity at that specific property and,
Police services are utilized in any manner to eradicate the suspected criminal activity based upon that affidavit of probable cause," according to the amendment.
“The goal is not to stop people from living here. The goal is to ensure a quality of life for everybody, right? And whether you pay $5,000 a month to live in Saucon Valley, or you pay $1,100 a month in South Side, you deserve a certain quality of life for you and your family."Easton City Councilmember Frank Pintabone
If the tenant has not left the property within 15 days, eviction proceedings will begin, with the landlord notifying those government housing subsidy providers of the criminal activity and the impending eviction.
Landlords will be obligated to provide proof of the notice to vacate to the tenant and the housing notification process commencement within 15 days of the police department’s notification.
If the tenants do not leave and eviction begins, the owner has to provide written proof to the police within 10 days of filing for eviction.
Holding landlords accountable
If a landlord fails to follow through with the process, he or she will face an immediate suspension or revocation of their residential rental license.
A suspension can be lifted once the landlord proves the tenant has been vacated from the property, in addition to paying a $300 fine.
According to Pintabone, reactions to the proposal have been positive, with several tenants and landlords applauding the push have property owners take more responsibility in the rental process.
“I have landlords who said ‘We really appreciate this, because I have good tenants in the city, and I've had tenants in the past have to move because of a landlord a door down or two doors down that just lets the crime and everything continue to happen here. So I've lost good tenants because of this,’" Pintabone said.
He said the measure isn't intended to prevent landlords from renting to potential tenants, rather, it puts the impetus on them to keep an eye out for the safety of the rest of their tenants and the neighborhood.
“The goal is not to stop people from living here," Pintabone said. "The goal is to ensure a quality of life for everybody, right?
"And whether you pay $5,000 a month to live in Saucon Valley, or you pay $1,100 a month in South Side, you deserve a certain quality of life for you and your family.
"And that's what this legislation is set to ensure, that, regardless of your socio-economic status, regardless of your education, regardless of any of that you have a right to live in a clean, safe environment."
Sultana raises concerns for reformed criminals
Councilmember Taiba Sultana was one of few to raise any concerns about the proposed amendment during a city council committee meeting held Tuesday.
"I questioned the amendment. The required and forced eviction and entry into the database are added penalties on top of criminal court penalties and could prevent first-time offenders from finding homes and a second opportunity to live their lives," Sultana said in a statement.
Sultana went on to state that "everybody deserves a second chance," adding the amendment would essentially place barriers in the way of a person "trying to live a good life."
According to Sultana, the inclusion of the offender in the database "should not constitute a life-long ban," noting that individuals with criminal records already face difficulty and discrimination when attempting to find housing.
"Forced eviction can further limit their housing options, making it harder for them to find stable housing. It can build another layer of challenges that somebody is already going through," Sultana said in her statement.
"I see this proposal as an increased risk of homelessness for individuals who have committed a crime which further contributes to a cycle of poverty, substance abuse, and criminal behavior."
Growing support
Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo said the legislation is something that the force has not only supported but tried to push forward for years.
According the Scalzo, the change would prioritize the safety of the law-abiding citizens of the city, and likely yield a further reduction in drug activity and violent crime.
“We're not going to allow you to do that in the city of Easton, and we're going to do everything in our ability to ensure that if you're doing that, that you're not on government-subsidized housing,” Scalzo said.
“If a landlord wants to make money in the city of Easton, they're going to have to comply and contribute to what we're trying to build as a city. And if they're unable to do that, then this isn't the city for you to rent in,”Frank Pintabone
“And it will hopefully help those government entities find somebody who is in need of that assistance and somebody who will value it and not bring a criminal element to the community while being subsidized to the government.”
City solicitor Joel Scheer said the change would put the responsibility on landlords to “not just sit back and do nothing” if their tenants are engaging in illegal activity, and to take action against landlords “who do not properly police their own their own housing unit.”
Pintabone said the amendment is among several actions he has planned to improve the rental and housing market in the city.
Others include stricter regulations for landlords when they renew their licenses, as well as additional prospective measures against absentee landlords.
“If a landlord wants to make money in the city of Easton, they're going to have to comply and contribute to what we're trying to build as a city," Pintabone said.
"And if they're unable to do that, then this isn't the city for you to rent in."
