PHOENIX — "It's absolutely disgusting. The smell, I can't even let my son come outside and play."
Brittany, a resident at the Tides on 7th apartments in Phoenix near 7th Street and Bell Road, describes a recent incident where the community trash was overflowing.
Brittany says the trash was not picked up for about three weeks.
"Weeks" without pickup is also how several other residents who reached out to the Let Joe Know team described the situation.
Brittany says it's frustrating. She and other residents pay for trash pick-up as part of their utilities when they pay rent. But, instead of pick-up, they were left with piles of garbage.
"Bulk stuff from washers and dryers to mattresses, shopping carts, trash," Brittany listed, adding "none of it was being taken care of it was just being left there to sit and smell for us."
She says she tried talking to the leasing office several times but was told they could not reach their own corporate office. Brittany tried the company that manages the property, PMG Property Management, but never got a response.
The Let Joe Know team reached out to both the Tides on 7th leasing office and PMG Property Management and asked:
- Why are they charging for garbage pick-up when there's no pickup?
- And how much of the fee will they be giving back to residents?
They didn't respond, however, the city of Phoenix did.
The city's Neighborhood Services Department says residents filed a complaint with the department. During their investigation, a department spokesperson tells us they were able to contact a representative for the owners of the property. The representative stated the owners were not aware of the issue and trash started to be removed just hours after they were contacted.
The terrible trash situation was cleaned up, but residents like Brittany are left wondering why it was that difficult.
"It's frustrating that we're having to reach out to get these necessities done when they should be taken care of for us. That's why there's a property management company."
If you're a renter, know your rights. Check out code compliance programs and other resources at the Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department online.
Check out some of our questions to and answers from the Neighborhood Services Department below:
What's the typical timeframe when a complaint is made, and case started until an inspection?
After NSD receives a code compliance complaint, a case is opened, and an inspector is assigned. Within 48 hours, a prenotification letter is sent, advising the recipient of the complaint and that an inspection will occur. Inspections are conducted within 10 days.
What is the typical timeframe given for corrective action if a violation is found?
If a violation is found during the inspection, NSD will issue a Notice of Ordinance Violation (NOV) which advises the recipient of the observed violation(s) and provides a future compliance date, typically 15 or 35 days, depending on the complexity of the violation.
Is there a number of complaints a property can receive before more serious actions are taken?
Neighborhood Services current Code Enforcement Policy defines a recidivist as a newly opened case on a property involving the same responsible party and the same violation, or any of the common blight violations, where within the last 24 months, the responsible party has been issued a Notice of Ordinance Violation and/or civil citation, and/or had criminal charges filed for, and/or contractual abatement initiated. Which allows the ability to deviate from our current code enforcement policy.
What type of actions could that include?
NSD focuses code compliance efforts on education, notification and communication. As a result, property owners, occupants and other responsible parties resolve well over 90 percent of code compliance cases voluntarily. If property owners and responsible parties do not achieve voluntary compliance, the next steps in the code compliance process may include:
- Civil Citation: Civil summons to appear in Phoenix Municipal Court for specified charges.
- Contractual Abatement: City hires a contractor to abate specified blight violations following the expiration of an Abatement NOV.
- Criminal Charge: Criminal summons to appear in Phoenix Municipal Court for specified charges.
Loading...
