Market Street house in serious disrepair

Ralph Fitch is the landlord of a Warsaw property that the city is demanding be brought up to code. On Monday, he appeared before code enforcement officer Lawrence Clifford to explain why the property at 832 E. Market St. is in such disrepair.

One of the most obvious problems that initially caught the eye of building commissioner Todd Slabaugh is the excess of outside trash and debris. Fitch, who actually resides in Larwill, said the tenants will not allow him to remove the trash.

“I got it mostly cleaned up, but then they got more stuff accumulated … I need some kind of permission or authority to make them let me take the trash away,” Fitch said. “They won’t let me take it away. They say it’s good stuff, but it’s junk.”

Fitch said the property is occupied, but the tenants who have been there for two years do not have a lease and are not paying rent. “They don’t have any money,” Fitch told Clifford. “This is too much aggravation … landlords have no power.”

Clifford advised Fitch that his aggravation will soon take money out of his pocket if the problems with the property are not resolved. Citing reports from Slabaugh, Clifford told Fitch the house is in serious disrepair with gutters and siding falling off and the roof needing replaced. “From the looks of the roof and the damage that has possibly occurred … I envision (inside) is in worse shape than the outside,” said Slabaugh.

At the hearing, Fitch said the tenants do not have a lease and there is no set rent. “I got 50 bucks about two months ago. They are homeless people. If I throw them out they say they had no where to go,” he noted. “If you ignore them, I will. If you want to throw them out, I will. You can make it happen. There’s a lot of poor people out there.”

Slabaugh said there have been no compliance efforts made to the property since a letter was sent in July, “save for some debris,” he told Clifford.

Clifford told Fitch that while the general trash and debris issues are of concern to the city, ” … there are larger issues with this house. It wouldn’t shock me if the department of code enforcement in a couple of months asks me to order this house demolished.”

Clifford could have fined Fitch Monday for not bringing the house into compliance, but instead ordered him to grant an interior inspection to be completed by Slabaugh and city planner Jeremy Skinner. That inspection was set for 10 a.m. this morning. “If you fail to comply, I will order a fine,” said Clifford.

Before this morning’s 10 a.m. inspection, Fitch informed Skinner he was selling the house to the tenants, he would not be present for the inspection and they would not be allowed in to complete the inspection. Fitch was informed the inspection was still scheduled and both Skinner and Slabaugh would be at the house at the time ordered by Clifford.

“He called in and said he wasn’t showing up,” Skinner told StaceyPageOnline.com. “He said he’s now selling the house to the tenants. I really don’t care, but it needs to be taken care of and that will take about 80 to $90,000.”

Skinner said he and Slabaugh were not even acknowledged at the house and that, upon seeing the current conditions, the city will now seek demolition. Clifford was contacted and made aware of this morning’s events.

The matter has been set for another hearing at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15. At that time, Fitch and/or the tenants will be ordered to appear and could now be fined up to $5,000 for violating Clifford’s order.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos in the gallery were provided by the city’s building and planning department.)