BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) - Boston's Inspectional Services Department cited the landlord of an Allston apartment building where several students live for 30 violations involving sanitation and safety issues.
William "Buddy" Christopher, ISD commissioner, gave FOX25 News a tour of 74 Chester St., on Sunday, with the tenants' permission.
Inspectors responding to a tip through the city's non-emergency 311 line, found a "severe" rat infestation, Christopher said. Although several traps were on the property, the rats had burrowed holes into the house.
Trash was piled up inside and outside the house and mold covered the ceilings and carpets, likely creating air quality issues, Christopher said. There were problems with the hot water, and the kitchen stove had been removed from the house, left sitting in the yard.
A fire escape, which had not been certified since 2008 - the state requires certification every five years - was Christopher's main concern. It was not anchored and had an obstruction on the second floor, Christopher showed Fox 25. That safety issue is why inspectors told second- and third-floor tenants they could not live in the building until it was fixed.
"It's unacceptable is the way I see it," Christopher said. "The goal is never to displace students. We want landlords to be responsible for their properties."
But Alp Kantar, property manager with Boston Management Group, said an architect inspected the fire escape late Sunday night and deemed it safe, allowing tenants to remain in the building. He had already booked a hotel room for one tenant, he said.
Inspectors also cited Kantar for a lack of smoke detectors, but Kantar said he has the paperwork to prove he had "already inspected and installed" the detectors just weeks ago. The tenants, he claimed, removed the detectors to smoke.
Kantar, who declined to speak on camera, said he is arraigning for an extermination company to make monthly visits.
"The apartment was disgusting," Kantar said. "They kept trash in the units. They started cleaning up."
Some of the tenants are also facing citations, Christopher said.
Fifty city inspectors checked apartments throughout the city over the last week and offered information to new tenants. They will continue to check buildings and communicate with tenants and landlords as the college move-in season begins.
Christopher urged tenants experiencing health and safety problems to report them to ISD by calling 311, Tweeting @BOS311, visiting the website at Boston.gov/311 or using the BOS:311 app.