Dublin landlord sued after tenants face unsafe, uninhabitable conditions in Bucks County: DA

Bucks County DA sues landlord for unsafe Dublin apartments: What we know

Bucks County District Attorney's Office has filed its first-ever lawsuit under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law against a landlord accused of maintaining uninhabitable property

BUCKS COUNTY - Bucks County’s district attorney filed a civil lawsuit Monday, April 20, against a local landlord, marking the first use of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law in the county, according to officials. The complaint alleges tenants at an eight-room boarding house on South Main Street in Dublin lived in dangerous and unsanitary conditions for more than a decade.

District attorney targets landlord over unsafe living conditions

What we know:

The district attorney’s office says the lawsuit targets brothers Richard and Ronald Goetter, who own the property, for allegedly keeping tenants in a building that did not meet basic health and safety standards. 

"Our complaint alleges these defendants used a pattern of deceptive and unfair conditions to demand rent from these tenants for apartments that didn’t meet even the most basic health and safety measures required by Pennsylvania law," said Elizabeth Oquendo, assistant district attorney for Bucks County.

Officials condemned the building last week, forcing the eviction of six tenants, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors allege the tenants, many of whom were elderly or disabled, were left without heat or a safe structure and had to use space heaters and extension cords to try to stay warm.

What they're saying:

"Providing heat and a safe structure for tenants is the bare minimum that landlords are expected to be responsible for in the Commonwealth. The tenants didn’t have either of those," said Oquendo. "What you can’t see are the roaches and rodents infestation it is permeated for years and biting cold inside the home on one of the many below zero days this winter," said Oquendo.

Joe Khan, Bucks County district attorney, said, "Ripping off our most vulnerable neighbors that’s against the law in any season, but when you cheat them out of heat during a cold blue winter, that’s is public safety."

Officials say the property was repeatedly cited for code violations, including black mold in the bathroom and a rotted porch. "They didn’t deserve to live like this. 

The landlords had no right to be charging these folks rent," said Tim Hayes, Dublin council president.

The district attorney’s office is seeking penalties and restitution from the landlords, including returning rent money to the tenants. "This consumer protection law is rarely used law in Bucks County, and it gives us the ability to bring civil engagement action against anybody who cheats people in Bucks County," said Khan.

Officials say county agencies helped the tenants find alternative housing after the building was condemned. The district attorney’s office hopes this lawsuit will send a message to other landlords about following landlord-tenant laws in Bucks County.

Officials attempted to contact the landlords named in the lawsuit and are waiting for a response to the allegations.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear how the landlords will respond to the lawsuit or when a court decision might be reached.

Details about the long-term housing situation for the former tenants have not been released.