SALISBURY — The city has started the eviction process for a boarding house at 507 N. Long St. after the owner failed re-inspection.
Six occupants, including owner Nathan King Sr., were still living in the house when the city conducted the inspection on Feb. 20, said Chris Branham, the city’s Code Services Division manager. The city had asked all occupants to leave the house in January, after City Council voted to close the boarding house, but they did not move out, Branham said.
The city has begun eviction, a legal proceeding.
Although King told the Post in November that he had made all necessary repairs, Branham said the property still did not meet minimum housing standards in February and posed a health hazard and danger to occupants.
New violations Branham said he found on Feb. 20 included a pest infestation in a bedroom, no working outlets in a bedroom and overloaded electrical circuits, a hole in a bedroom wall, excessive debris that was unsanitary and causing exit problems in a bedroom, and missing handrails for steps at the back of the house.
Old violations that had not been fixed since the first inspection included no impervious flooring in a bathroom around the toilet, an electrical panel without a dead-front that meets code, a missing smoke detector in a bedroom, hasp lock hardware still on several interior doors, wood siding on exterior of house not properly repaired and smoke detector not properly located in a bedroom.
City Council voted unanimously Dec. 17 to close the controversial boarding house if the owner did not bring the house up to minimum living standards. In January, City Manager Doug Paris told council members the house remained substandard, and the city began the process to close the house.
The re-inspection was part of that process, Branham said. The city has suggested alternative housing options, he said.
Branham has been writing up the house on code violations since 2012, including fire hazards, blocked exits and windows, unsafe flooring, plumbing problems and raw sewage coming from the back of the house. King has denied many of the allegations and said he fixed others.
Closing the house and evicting the boarders is a first step toward possibly demolishing the structure, which is more than 100 years old. King owes more than $14,000 in back taxes on the property, which is valued at $57,688. His last payment was $23.40 in 2011.
Separately, the city is preparing a re-inspection of several houses on East 11th Street owned by King’s son, John King. City Council members discussed the homes several years ago, saying the conditions were some of the worst they had seen.
The re-inspection was delayed due to weather and is slated for March 17.
Both King properties helped prompt a new city regulation that gives landlords 48 hours instead of 60 days to fix six life-threatening conditions, or the city can remove tenants. Landlords also now have 48 hours to present a plan to repair a dozen other conditions that are unsafe but not life-threatening.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.