Property managers vow change... Really? We have heard this before concerning the Ranch Motel and the London Hotel. Mr Danyluk, manager owner of the London Hotel and the Ranch Motel says "It's not like were doing it on purpose, let's put it that way"... really? Doing what on purpose?
I own three properties in my neighborhood in the VLA. I have no problem finding good tenants, sometimes I have to wait a month or two, but I get a high number of applicant',screen them and do not get drug dealers or users in my rentals. I guess the difference is the owners of the Ranch/London Hotel and 32 other properties owned by them don't care what happens in their properties and the neighborhoods where their homes are located. Why should they? They don't have to see neighborhood kids drawn into the thug and drug life by the drug-dealing maggots living in their rentals. They don't have to see lives and neighborhoods destroyed. They don't care.
So Mayor Green, why are we looking for more revenue to fund our police department to babysit the absentee/unconcerned landlords' homes and deal with the problems caused by their lack of concern? Why are we putting up with highly-distressed property prices in the VLA and other areas where drug dealing/gang activity occurs If we made it undesirable for the absentee landlords and unconcerned landlords to have drug dealers/gang activity in their rentals, perhaps their "vow to change" would become a reality instead of lip service.
I propose that property taxes double on the second occasion the police bust your property for housing drug dealers/gang members. (If you own more than one property, it doubles on all you own). The police will give you one "oops" card and that is your cue to pay more attention to who you are putting in your rentals.
If the police need to bust a third time... the property taxes rise five times on that property and all others you own. Fourth time you are out and your property is forfeit to the city. I think we would see some definite improvement in the attitudes of absentee/unconcerned landlords. We would see the VLA become a nice neighbourhood again and we would see property values rise significantly generating more needed tax revenue... And we would have a better city. We can say to the absentee and unconcerned landlords, "It is like we are doing it on purpose. Let's put it that way"
A(Lee)Stewart
Prince George
