Any advice needed-neighbor won't take out their garbage
Can anybody please offer any advice (other than calling 311- will do Monday) for a sticky situation with my neighbor. He owns but does not live in a 4 family rental building. He’s only taking out the garbage a minimum of one time per week. The garbage is always piling up and is disgusting. It…
Can anybody please offer any advice (other than calling 311- will do Monday) for a sticky situation with my neighbor. He owns but does not live in a 4 family rental building. He’s only taking out the garbage a minimum of one time per week. The garbage is always piling up and is disgusting. It amazes me that the tenants don’t complain considering how much rent they all pay.
I tried to talk to him nicely neighbor to neighbor. He just gave me lip service and said he would take care of it. I got a bit more angry when a fellow neighbor found a rat in her celler.
Anyway, other than 311 which I don’t think can do anything since the garbage is on private property, is there anything I can do. The guy is a real jerk.
Thanks a lot for any help. I really appreciate it.
Why on earth wouldn’t you call 311 about this? Because you think it’s not nice? If there really is a lot of garbage piling up next door it’s a health issue, and you might as well let the sanitation department decide whether it is or it isn’t. Stop feeling guilty. You take out your garbage. Your neighbor charges rent to his tenants, let him take out his garbage. Next question…
Contact the Sanitation Dept. They’ll send out an inspector and a ticket will probably be issued.
I realize that it isn’t your responsibility. And everyone else’s advice seems good about getting the city involved if he has violated a city ordinance. Two or three times a week I walk up and down my street cleaning up the trash. If, however, it turns out your neighbor is not violating any ordinance, but is just a slob/lazy, I was just suggesting an avenue which would allow you some sense of control over the situation. Of course maybe your neighbor would tell you to keep off his property. Makes you year for a shack deep in the woods, doesn’t it!
Op here,
Thank you for your advice. I’ll speak to the tenants and see if they can get something started. I mentioned the concept of knocking off some rent $$ to haul the garbage but the owner is too cheap for that. He just looked at me like I was crazy.
Putnamdenizen: I’ve got plenty of trash to haul myself for my building & tenant. I did take the trash out for the other building several times but then the owner never came around. It’s not my responsibility although I am very happy to lend a hand to neighbors who need help. The difference here is that this owner is just lazy.
Anyway, thanks again.
Make a point to meet the tenants and see if they are bothered by the trash. It’s always a good idea to meet your neighbors anyway. Most landlords I know give a tenant a rent reduction for hauling trash, keeping the sidewalk clean and snow shoveling. See what’s up with the tenants. If you’re still at a road block. Start calling 311.
If garbage is piling up outside trash cans it is a ticketable offense. Do call 311. You will need to call repeatedly and use whatever case # they give you. Ask your other neighbors who are bothered to do so as well.
If it offends anyone, it should offend the people who live there. If I was one of them, I would take the garbage out and deduct $25 from my rent every time I do it as a service fee. Prety soon, the owner would get off his ass and start doing it himself (when he starts to get $100 less per month). Not only is it disgusting, it is probably a health hazzard if any of th tenants have any kind of condition of the lungs.
Why don’t you just take it out?
what about the people that live there – why wouldnt they take out their own garbage???