Jamestown Landlord Speaks Out After Tenant Leaves Apartment In Filth


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JAMESTOWN – A Jamestown landlord is speaking out after one of her apartments was left in filth by a tenant who hasn’t paid rent in months because of New York’s moratorium on evictions.

Patty Culliton, who owns a multi-dwelling apartment house on Stowe Street in Jamestown, wants the state to know what some New Yorkers are doing to take advantage of the system.





“Everybody else has paid their rent. I have one person that’s $200 behind, and that’s because I allowed them to help them out,” explained Culliton. “Even the people that struggled a little at the beginning, once their unemployment or stimulus check came, they all came up to date.”

Even though her tenant hadn’t paid rent for several months, Culliton knew she couldn’t evict him because of the state order. The man at times also claimed to be sick with COVID-19, preventing a check of the property.

The situation was financially hard on Culliton who had to continue to pay his utilities despite having no income coming in.





















After months of back-and-forth with her tenant, Culliton thought she would find some relief when he announced we was moving out, however, she found the complete opposite, an abandoned apartment left in total ruin.

“When I pushed the door open, I was bombarded with these flies,” said Culliton. “The smell was horrific, the flies everywhere. I mean the filth speaks for itself. I just got angry. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I didn’t know what to do.”

She says the filth stretched from every end of the apartment. In the end, Culliton hopes that landlords take notice and prevents the occurrence from happening to them.

“Albany needs to know what is going on in these situations,” said Culliton. “If we want to get together and take a march on Albany as landlords maybe that would help.”









As for the cleanup effort, the landlord says she plans to hire a professional cleaning company. So far, quotes for the job estimate it will cost hundreds of dollars to simply start the cleanup.

 

17 Comments

  1. Yes I am also having the same problem as one of my houses is a drug house and I pay the utilities for this person to live for free. While I work everyday! They had Housing assistance at first but since the pandemic never recertifiied because rents free anyway!! Go NYS!!

    • I was an Ohio city landlord for 23 years and sold all my properties recently. I had fifty units and only had one tenant refuse to pay rent during the pandemic. However, the filth left behind by this landlord’s tenant is something I dealt with on a regular basis. Bedbugs, roaches, gnats, maggots and debris of every sort was a normal part of tenant transition. I usually took pictures and recently went through my file. I had to shake my head and I honestly pondered how I lasted this long. Good riddance to landlording!

    • I just had to dig out one foot of dog feces from the basement of my basement from the house that the tenant was behind in. She owed 3500 in back rent and four dump truck loads to the land fill. I took out a loan to pay for repairs now. Oh and I am retired and planned on rental income to help pay my own

    • I feel the pain. My house was in total ruins as well. I had to hire a company as well to clean out the house which was $1300, now I need to hire someone to go in and clean it up, repair all the damages and repair wiring and plumbing to the house. The tenant is so far behind when she abandoned it I see no recouping the loss.

  2. The United States government creating an even larger population of bums and society burdens. Who knew this was going to be the outcome?
    Anyone with common sense. Good luck to you landlords, I’m thankful I didn’t have my property rented out.

  3. She said “I have a tenant that is $200 dollars behind and that is because I let them use that for something else” I was kinda worried (What if she didnt let them use that for something else?) Wow, you sound like a great person Lol.I dont think its right the way your place was left, being filthy should be a crime in my book, but some landlords have been dealing with 9 or 10 months without owed rent and no end in site. I’m sure some of that stuff is reusable and to the right person they might clean it up for free if they can have items in apartment. Also,(if the picture is correct) the outside of your place looks like you could do more to present this property better because the outside looks the same as inside! Yikes…

  4. I’ve been in that situation before covid. Just clean the place up for the next tenant and rent it out before or after the moratorium and j
    ust be glad they are gone.

  5. So your unit looks like a dump outside but it’s not ok to look like a dump inside? If your complaining about this you must be new to being a landlord because thats nothing…heck i see enough good stuff there I would clean it free in exchange for the contents and I’m sure plenty others would too. That mess has nothing to do with not paying rent your gonna get that from ppl who have never missed a payment…get over it

  6. This is NOTHING! Try being a landlord in South Florida. Way beyond filth here!!! Landords fix NOTHING even after complaining. Most condos and duplexes Roach ridden, water damage you name it but being south Florida they charge out the A** for rent then blame the their tenants for their pwn neglect!

  7. Thank a Democrat they are the ones who pushed this.I have been trying to buy a 2 family home for myself and my daughter.But because they are occupied you can’t move in.We have been stuck in a 650 square ft house 3 adults,a baby and a dog.Because of this we can’t sell my home to move on to a home that would make more room for us.We have money and excellent credit but the bidding wars are outrageous.

  8. I am a landlord in NC. The tenant
    Owes me $10,500.00, when she finally left. The dirty baby diapers, food and trash in every room. It cost me $ 4,500.00 to clean and paint.The I had to replace vinyl floor covering and
    carpet, I am just glad she didn’t
    Knock holes in the tubs in baths
    She had 4 bedrooms and rented out 3 of them, but paid no rent.
    She took all the money she received and purchased a new car, she said she paid cash for the car.

    • Patricia I’m a nc LL as well and I would like to exchange info from you. We are looking to get news coverage here in NC because this is ridiculous.

  9. I’m on the opposite side. I’m a tenant who has paid rent on time, every time, and my house is a dump because I have a slumlord who takes the rent money and fixed their personal house while neglecting this house. My front porch is falling apart, all the windows leak air, the carpet is in ruins, the appliances don’t work properly, the front door is janky because the last tenant kicked it in and they just bandaid it, mice, bathroom has mold on the ceiling,hot water heater in the food pantry,dead tree ready to fall on my vehicle,hasn’t been painted in a thousand years and I could go on and on and I pay good money for this! I don’t feel for you not at all! That’s what deposits are for and thank your local democrat for keeping your tenant there. Have a nice day!

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