The following is a true account of my experiences dealing with Jay Flannagan (Jay Flanagan?) (Anderson, IN) and Alex Halasz (California), who own a building at 1529 1/2 South A in Elwood, Indiana.
Here are some pictures of the state of my apartment. After you look at them, you can see why I wanted to know why my rent (and my rent alone) was raised from $100/week to $150/week.
Both Jay Flannagan (Flanagan) and the building managers - Jay and Vicki Kelich - know of the damage in my apartment. (I went a few months with a leaky roof.) These pictures don't show how the radiators don't work in my apartment most of the time, but I did plug in a space heater (which almost shorted out the whole apartment - see photo above.)
Like I said, I'm not doing this with malice, but to let people know the state of my apartment and the treatment I'm receiving from the building owners and the building manager.
This is video of me asking one of the owners why I was the only one who had their rent raised and whether he knew the shape of my apartment.
Building manager at 1529 1/2 South A
About a week before the first video above, Tom Doan, building commissioner for Elwood walked by the Elwood newsroom. The Computer Dude and I went out to talk with him. The building next door had called him because someone at 1529 1/2 South A threw a whole bunch of building materials from apartment #8 into the parking lot of an adjacent building - and let them sit there a week or so.
I told Mr. Doan that I'd walk around front with him, but that I was afraid if I was seen with him I would be retaliated against. He said it would be ok, and we walked around to the front of the building where Mr. Jay Kelich was sweeping the front sidewalk. I went inside back to my apartment.
A day or so later (about a week after being told I was one of the ones who was going to pay), I had a knock on my apartment door. Mr. Jay Kelich handed me a note (with a lot of it scribbled out) saying that due to property taxes and utilities, rent was being raised from $100/week to $150/week effective immediately.
I asked Mr. Jay Kelich whether I was the only one to have my rent raised and he said I wasn't, and that the tenant in number 7 might have to move out because she wouldn't be able to afford it either. We talked a little and I asked him to let the other tenants know I wanted to talk with them about the rent being raised when there is so much damage to the building from the roof the owners took their time fixing. (One of the roofing contractors told me the roof needed to be redone completely, but they only paid to have it 'patched up.'
Mr. Jay Kelich left the note with me (copy to be online later) and left. I started thinking about it and realized that I might be the only one who was having their rent raised. Then I remembered Jay Kelich saying I was going to pay. Was this connected? I didn't know.
The next day I made a few calls and found out I was the only one who had gotten the notice. What I didn't understand, and still don't, is that they've put new doors on one or two of the apartments (and started sanding down the building manager's apartment for hardwood floors), but my roof was still bare, metal still sticking out of my sockets, the walls still falling down, etc.
A day or so after receiving the notice, I happened on Jay Flannagan (Flanagan) in the hallway. Being an intrepid reporter, I grabbed my video camera and went out to ask him some questions. As you can see by the video above, his answer somewhat changes when he realizes he's being filmed.
Like I said, I'm not doing this out of malice, but to let the citizens of East Central Indiana know how this building is currently being run and that if you get fed up with promises and contact city officials this might happen to you.
What would you do?
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There are roach pictures
There are roach pictures too, but I haven't gotten to those yet. About twice the size of a quarter?
Email I sent to Mr. Alex
Email I sent to Mr. Alex Halasz to offer him a chance to respond.
I was given four days
I was given four days notice...
Some more thoughts. Excuse
Some more thoughts. Excuse my dwelling on this.
I did wonder whether or not I should have published this factual information. I began to think, though, what if I was someone who didn't have an audience of ~50,000 people every month - what would happen to me if a building owner raised my rent by 50%? And the circumstances are odd with the state of the apartment and me inviting the building commissioner over to look at the apartment after my patience finally ran out.
Am I abusing my power as a publisher by putting this out there? Is it unethical? Unprofessional? Petty? Whining?
I'd like to think that if approached by someone else with similar circumstances, I would try to document the situation as well as this one or better even.
So, I think I'd like to state here publicly, that when resources allow, being the defender of tenant rights is something AFP might think about doing. Granted, that could alienate advertisers (and from some of the anonymous comments coming in, I've alienated some already...), but I've started to wonder about how many people have problems similar to mine with a landowner ... well, with a landowner being... heh. Moving along.
And I know there are probably landowners who have problems with tenants too (I lived on BSU campus for many years, couch surfed a while too...) So maybe it's the whole tenant/landlord issue that AFP should add to its list of duties and responsibilities to the community.
Yes, I still have hope for the future. I feel like the period I'm going through currently is similar to the mood and vibe of the end of Empire Strikes Back. So many negative things happening around me. And being exhausted. If this is true, though, at least I have the Ewoks to look forward to in a short bit.
Small smile. I wonder sometimes what you, the readers, the AFP community, think about me, your publisher, and my ramblings. As a part of this community myself, though, I like to be here with you every day.
(And I'm just reminded of a conversation here a while back as to whether or not I should have a separate 'personal' account here at AFP to separate me the person and me the publisher. I can't remember what the conclusion was, but I bet I said I'd think about it. Heh.)
Another long day, another long week, another long month - there is hope in the air, though. I can still see the long term big picture. AFP is a rough sketch of that currently, I think - a hand drawn scribbling of what media in the future should be, what it can be.
Anyway, just some thoughts for you. This story will most likely fade down and drop into obscurity here, but it was documented. I hope I was able to explain some of the 'why' with this post.
well sir i happen to know
well sir i happen to know the building you are talking abiut and i also happen to know that the old manager did not do pest control and the new managers have and also the bug man will be back in a few weeks so about the roaches that problem is solved! and no about the remodeling your apartment is the only one who looks that bad i wounder why that is youve lived there for awhile and the new managers are remodeling as i am typing this comment right now. oh and the picture of the light socket the only reason that is the way it is, is because of you so thats your problem pal!!!!!!!! i suggest you reread the laws on video taping people with out them knowing and posting it on the internet! well just thought you should step back and realize what your doing with all of this.
Well, there are still bugs.
Well, there are still bugs. They crawl out and die like they always have.
and no about the remodeling your apartment is the only one who looks that bad i wounder why that is youve lived there for awhile and the new managers are remodeling as i am typing this comment right now. oh and the picture of the light socket the only reason that is the way it is, is because of you so thats your problem pal!!!!!!!!
I have pictures of apartment #8 as well. Not to mention the safety problems with the boiler in this building. Bottom line, after I was seen with the building commissioner, my rent was raised. I was threatened verbally.
The roof is that way because the roof (according to one of the contractors) wasn't fixed correctly in order to save money. (His words not mine...) There is being work done in the building manager's apartment (be careful what you call yourself) and a few friends of the building manager. All I've got is intimidation and my rent raised.
i suggest you reread the laws on video taping people with out them knowing and posting it on the internet! well just thought you should step back and realize what your doing with all of this.
Well, they're the same as when I went to Journalism School. I was in a public place with the camera in full view.
What I'm doing with this is exposing bad business tactics.
I had an interesting conversation today with another Elwood business owner who was told some interesting things Mr. Flanagan said to him.
I have a few leads on a new
I have a few leads on a new place to live. Everyone cross your fingers.
Believe me, I don't want to
Believe me, I don't want to stay here any longer. I thought it important to point out the actions taken against me after being seen with the building commissioner, though. When you're poor, you don't always have a lot of options.
OK FOR ONE I HAVE BEEN A
OK FOR ONE I HAVE BEEN A MANAGER FOR 24 YEARS . I HAVE RENTED TO ALOT OF PEOPLE ALOT OD WELL DIRTY PEOPLE I WOULD SAY THAT DONT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING , AND TWO VERY CLEAN PEOPLE THAT ALWAYS CARED. BUT IT ID AGAINST THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH TO HAVE AN APPARTMENT THAT DOES NOT HEAT, OR RUNNING WATER OR WHAT YOU WOULD SAY A NOT LIVEABLE APPARTMET TO LIVE IN . IF I WAS YOU , I WOULD CONTACT THE ABOVE TELL THEM YOUR PROBLEM YOU ARE HAVING AND THE ADDERESS AND WHO THE OWNERS ARE AND THE MANAGER. PLEASE NOTE THE MAMAGERS ARE ALSO JUST AS RESPONDSABLE OS THE OWNERS AS TO HOW THE APPARTMENT LOOK LIKE . THEY CAN ALL BE FIND FOR THE WAY THIS PLACE LOOKS , OH AND ALSO THEY MUST GIVE YOU A WRITTEN NOTICE OF ANY RATE INCREASE BEFORE THEY CAN RASE THE RENT , AND NOTE THEY CAN ONLY RAISE YOUR RENT EVERY YEAR , NOT WHEN EVERY THEY FEEL THE NEED AND IF THEY ONLY RAISED YOURS , AND NO ONE ELESES WELL THEY DID A NO NO CHECK WITH THE OTHERS IN THE APPARTMENTS AND SEE IF THERES HAVE BEEN HAVE RAISED ALSO ............ I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU CAUSE I KNOW FIRST HAND ,I ALWAYS KEPT MY APPATMENTS UP AND WHEN SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING WAS WRONG I JUMPED CAUSE THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH CAN SHUT YOU DOWN AND FINE YA BIG TIME .... MAYBE THEY NEED TO READ THIS AND REALLY START WORRYING CAUSE I KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT ............ JUST PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL . AND IF THEY JUST STARTED MANAGEING WELL THEY BETTER GET UP ON THE LAWS REAL FAST CAUSE IF THE OWNERS GO DOWN FOR THIS SO WILL THE MANAGERS................. I HOPE THIS HELPED YOU IN YOUR TROUBLE WITH YOUR APPARTMENT..... A MANAGER OF 24 YEARS. OH YES I KNOW ELWOOD BORN AND RAISED ...............................
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