Tenants Face Boot From Building In Foreclosure; Water Service Shut Off, Power Next; Emergency Aid Unavailable Until Health Dept. Issues Vacate Order

In Cincinnati, Ohio, WLWT-TV Channel 5 reports:

• Their water has been shut off, the electricity is next and it's all because of a landlord who stopped paying his bills. It's the latest example of how the foreclosure crisis is turning the lives of families upside down. [...] "I can't do my dishes. My dishes (have) been sitting here since yesterday," Westwood apartment complex resident Melody Sanders said. [...] "I like taking showers every day, and I don't like for my daughter to be dirty, and without water you can't even take a shower," Sanders said.

• The water in her apartment building was turned off on Monday. The gas and electricity are next. "For the gas and electric alone, he owes $4,400. And we ain't even got an estimate on how much he owes for the water," Sanders said.

• She said the landlord owes even more on the building itself, which Legal Aid of Cincinnati said is headed into foreclosure. [... Attorney Noel] Morgan said his office is working with the residents to try and help them find financial aid to move into a more livable building. However, that process takes time and Sanders is out of patience. [...] Part of the delay with getting those people moved is that the emergency aid isn't triggered until the Health Department issues a vacate order. That won't happen until sometime after the electricity is turned off next Monday. People who live there just have to make due until then.

For the story, see Landlord Behind On Bills; Tenants Suffering (Water Already Off; Power To Be Shut Off Next). RentSigmaSkimming