Landlords Want State Help

Landlords are people, too.

That was the sentiment expressed by members of the Upper Ohio Valley Landlords Association near the end of their monthly meeting Wednesday on Wheeling Island.

With recent news of city residents expressing frustration with unruly renters and ''slum landlords,'' the association members said they want people to know that they, too, are tired of being taken advantage of by tenants who won't pay their rent and who treat apartments with disrespect.

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Photo by Shelley Hanson
Roger Kratz Jr., district manager with TekCollect, talks to Upper Ohio Valley Landlords Association members about his collection agency’s services Wednesday.

''This is a good organization with a lot of good members,'' said association President Jerry Kopyar. ''We are people who care about our properties. We are tired of the destruction and being taken advantage of.''

Kopyar noted the association's legislative committee should start meeting soon to lobby for passage of West Virginia Senate Bill 163, which would make destruction of a landlord's property by a tenant a criminal offense, punishable by fines and possible jail time. He noted a similar bill in the House also has been introduced, HB 2864.

Wheeling resident Karen Garvin said after the meeting that she appreciates good tenants, that there is mutual respect between her and them.

Others, she noted, don't understand that when they don't pay rent, the landlord can't pay their taxes and other bills.

''They think because we are property owners that, 'You can afford to keep us.' They don't stop to think about the expenses. We have other jobs, too,'' Garvin noted.

In addition to state laws, Kopyar said the landlords should also start paying attention to what is occurring at the local level.

For example, members should take turns attending Wheeling City Council meetings to learn the status of different home rule laws the city is working to enact.

Currently, rules to impose fees on vacant and/or dilapidated structures are being debated by the city's rules committee before being presented in ordinance form to City Council.

"We are one big business in the city, and we need to be heard," Kopyar said.

Roger Kratz Jr., district manager with collection agency TekCollect, based in Columbus, also presented information about his business. Kratz, a landlord himself, gave some tips on attracting good renters, in addition to pitching his company's services. To run a successful rental business, he said, landlords must stick to their contracts and be consistent in enforcing them.

''Make it simple, make it legal. Don't change your contract with everybody every month,'' Kratz said. ''Don't make special deals with everybody.''

''Red flags'' to a potential bad renter may include: a local resident with check numbers under 500; starter checks or checks with no preprinted information; and low credit scores, he noted. He also suggested criminal background checks be conducted on potential renters.

''If you don't do a credit check and background check, you're just asking for trouble - you don't know the story,'' he said.