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The problem with absentee landlords in Trail

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“It took months before that absentee landlord came to attend to the mess, and only because I continued to ask the tenants about it,” writes Samuel Beckett. Photo: Unsplash

I want to bring attention to the problem of some absentee landlords in the town of Trail.

Some of these landlords show seeming indifference to the condition of the properties they rent out.

For those of us who do own property, it becomes an aesthetic issue, or blight, when we keep our houses and yards in good condition, yet have to live next to a property that appears far less so.

The house in front of our house (Austad Lane) is a good example.

It has three non-working cars on the small lot, one of them a large, rusted junker.

This lowers the aesthetic appeal of the whole neighborhood.

The house adjacent to us is another example.

At one point a mattress laid in the front yard (until I contacted a Trail bylaw officer), and food wrappers of all kinds surrounded the property.

This brought a very large bear to our property every night last summer, and eventually he brought a portion of fence down between our properties.

It took months before that absentee landlord came to attend to the mess, and only because I continued to ask the tenants about it.

So please, if you are one of these absentee landlords (and you know who you are), have respect for those of us who don’t have the luxury of owning multiple houses, and want to live in a respectable looking, well-maintained environment!

Respectfully,

Samuel Becker

Trail