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This aerial photo from July 15, 2020 is a view of southeast Lancaster city looking from above the first block of West Vine Street.

 BLAINE SHAHAN | Staff Photographer

 

After living in his East Orange Street apartment for more than four years, Miguel Dejesus is tired of putting up with “Band-Aid” structural fixes. But Dejesus’ landlord told him for conditions in the building to improve, he needs to leave.

Dejesus contacted The Watchdog after he became fed up with what he says are years of inconsistent repair work done on his apartment through landlord Dave Mangat. With ceilings weathered by water damage and crumbling brick walls, Dejesus said the problems in his home have built up long enough that he wonders if he’s living with lead, mold and asbestos.

To his surprise, Dejesus was told he and his fiancee need to move out in September after raising the concerns again with Mangat.

“We don’t know if this place is affecting our health,” Dejesus said. “I just need to know what our recourse is, because at this point, why pay rent when it’s not livable? Why deal with anything at this point when we’re going to be out in September?”

Mangat said the repairs Dejesus has requested are “cosmetic,” though he noted it would take extensive work to put in new ceilings and walls. According to county property records, the building is more than 100 years old, which makes it more prone to deterioration over time. While the unit hasn’t been tested for lead, mold or asbestos, Mangat said maintenance could reveal those problems.

Mangat noted the property has passed required inspections conducted by city staff.

Given the risks of repairing an old building, Mangat told The Watchdog it would be unsafe for Dejesus or any other tenants to live in the unit while that’s happening.

Some property owners cover hotel expenses for tenants if they’re put out of their homes for major renovations. In fact, another city resident who rents from Mangat told The Watchdog they didn’t have to pay for anything when they spent a week living in a hotel while hospital officials removed lead from their property.

Mangat said personal differences between Dejesus and himself led to his request that Dejesus move out. The landlord noted Dejesus could reapply to move back into the unit once the repairs are complete, though the rent likely would go up because of the renovations. Mangat emphasized Dejesus has had trouble paying his rent, which Dejesus confirmed.

“I think that’s the best thing moving forward, for me to do the repairs,” Mangat said. “It’s very hard to make major renovations. … I don’t know how long that might take.”

Addressing tenant concerns

Dejesus contacted Lancaster city and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General about his concerns. D.J. Ramsay, communications manager for the city, said its Bureau of Property Maintenance and Housing Inspections would look into Dejesus’ situation.

Brett Hambright, a spokesman for the state attorney general’s office, said landlords are legally obligated to maintain their rental units in livable conditions. If a landlord does not address serious issues in their units, tenants have the right to make the necessary repairs and deduct the cost from their rent, withhold rent until the issues are resolved, take legal action against their landlord, raise the violations as a defense against eviction or move out.

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Hambright said tenants should get legal advice before taking action. He encouraged tenants with unresolved maintenance issues to contact the attorney general’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The Watchdog attempted to contact other tenants of Mangat’s 10 rental properties in the city. Just two responded, saying Mangat was a good landlord who responded to their concerns. Hambright said just one complaint had been lodged against Mangat.

Dangers of indoor air pollutants

Kevin Stewart, director of environmental health for the American Lung Association, said mold exists everywhere and is mostly harmless. However, moisture problems in homes, such as leaks in roofs and basements, can prompt excessive mold growth and cause negative health effects.

Mold mainly affects people with preexisting health conditions, such as mold allergies, asthma and other lung diseases. Symptoms usually take more time to develop in people without preexisting conditions, according to Dr. Alan Peterson, emeritus director of environmental and community medicine at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

Stewart encourages people to address moisture problems as soon as they notice them, regardless of whether they have a preexisting condition.

“It’s best not to treat it lightly,” he said.

Most houses built in the 1970s or earlier have lead-based paint, Stewart said. Lead exposure is especially harmful for infants and children, as lead can impede their developing nervous systems and lower their IQ.

Lead poisoning has no symptoms early on, Peterson said, so people may not realize they have been exposed to lead until a doctor tests their blood lead levels. In the long run, people experiencing lead poisoning face symptoms including anemia, abdominal pain and decreased appetite.

“It’s out there,” Peterson said. “People have to be aware of it.”

As lead-based paint is often covered by non-lead-based paint, Stewart underscored the importance of maintaining paint in older homes so the original layer does not get exposed.

Stewart also highlighted Lancaster city’s lead paint abatement program, which reduces lead hazards for low- and moderate-income households with a child under the age of 6. The city encourages eligible residents concerned about lead in their home to apply for assistance, which is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are available at lanc.news/LeadAbatement.

Asbestos can be found in insulation, roofing and other building materials. Asbestos exposure is linked to mesothelioma, a lung cancer.

Stewart cautions homeowners against attempting to remove asbestos on their own, which would both expose them to the material and cause asbestos fibers to spread throughout the home. Instead, he recommends hiring a professional contractor who can isolate the work area and safely remove asbestos.

“(You) don’t want to be willy-nilly tearing out asbestos insulation, because doing that is much more likely to make the problem worse than it is to solve it,” he said.

Notice any problems?

Email the Lancaster Watchdog at watchdog@lnpnews.com or go to lancasteronline.com/watchdog and tell us about it. You can also send mail to Lancaster Watchdog at P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608-1328

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