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SonOfLiberty · April 14, 2006, 02:43 PM

In some cases, contacting local landlords or property owners can be a great place to start. Speaking as a property manager that works in one of "those" neighborhoods, there is alot at stake for us as well. A declining neighborhood means that property value as well as rents will decrease. Alongside that, we end up renting to more shady characters cause some of the better folks will want to move away. Then we end up with late night calls, broken doors and windows, adding bars, etc. (let your imagination run wild, I've seen lots.) All these things add up quickly.

Often times we have vacant apartments that we will offer to the local police department for undercover work, surveillance, etc. I suggest looking for a local housing authority (section 8, HAP, etc.) and asking someone there if they know of any landlord associations or organizations in the area. If you can get a couple medium to bigtime landlords on your side and promote the neighborhood watch program to their tenants and neighbors you could surely rally a formidable team. There's always a couple tenants in each building that have great eyes for detail and would love nothing more than to make a difference. Of course police support would be essential, but I'm sure that would be easy to arrange as well.

If you have trouble getting a landlord on your side, just watch the newspaper for your opportunity. Once something happens at or very near one of their locations, they'll be eager to jump onboard. Good luck!

April 14, 2006, 02:43 PM	#15
SonOfLiberty Member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 55	Landlords... In some cases, contacting local landlords or property owners can be a great place to start. Speaking as a property manager that works in one of "those" neighborhoods, there is alot at stake for us as well. A declining neighborhood means that property value as well as rents will decrease. Alongside that, we end up renting to more shady characters cause some of the better folks will want to move away. Then we end up with late night calls, broken doors and windows, adding bars, etc. (let your imagination run wild, I've seen lots.) All these things add up quickly. Often times we have vacant apartments that we will offer to the local police department for undercover work, surveillance, etc. I suggest looking for a local housing authority (section 8, HAP, etc.) and asking someone there if they know of any landlord associations or organizations in the area. If you can get a couple medium to bigtime landlords on your side and promote the neighborhood watch program to their tenants and neighbors you could surely rally a formidable team. There's always a couple tenants in each building that have great eyes for detail and would love nothing more than to make a difference. Of course police support would be essential, but I'm sure that would be easy to arrange as well. If you have trouble getting a landlord on your side, just watch the newspaper for your opportunity. Once something happens at or very near one of their locations, they'll be eager to jump onboard. Good luck!