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Page 3of 4 <br />and steer clear of —landlords on the list. <br />The watchlist of more than 400 buildings has been <br />deemed a success, says Wiley Norvell, spokesman <br />for the public advocate's office. The site prompted <br />the city's worst landlord to pay the $140,000 he <br />owed the city for making emergency repairs on his <br />buildings, and about a dozen buildings have been <br />removed from the list because owners cleaned them <br />up, Norvell said. <br />DEBT DOES SOME IN <br />Financial implosion does in some landlords, <br />according to some local experts. <br />Five of the six properties the Jaweeds currently own <br />Inspectors with the Columbia Heights fire department <br />are facing significant financial problems. The <br />leave the apartment complex at 1000 Peters Place in <br />brothers or their companies owe more than <br />Columbia Heights after carrying out a final inspection <br />before the Columbia Heights city council votes on <br />$850,000 in past due taxes, liens and civil <br />whether or not to revoke the rental license of owners <br />judgments. In the past three years, the Jaweeds lost <br />Hyder Jaweed and Asgher Ali. (Pioneer Press: Ben <br />three properties to foreclosure and sold five. <br />Garvin) (Ben Garvin) <br />In Brooklyn Center, CenterPoint Energy asked a court <br />HOME Line, a tenant-advocacy group that worked <br />last month to appoint a receiver to control the <br />with lawmakers last year, would like a statewide <br />Jaweeds' Brookhaven apartments because it was <br />heating code that would address problems caused <br />owed $75,000. The judge agreed. <br />by landlords who don't pay utility bills or those who <br />limit the temperature in their rental buildings, said <br />Peters Place apartments in Columbia Heights came <br />Eric Hauge, a tenant organizer with HOME Line. <br />close to losing its rental license this month, but the <br />Jaweeds fixed the problems. Inspectors found other <br />But the more aggressive and proactive local efforts <br />problems at a Dec. 22 inspection and will return <br />— such as the new rules in Columbia Heights, <br />Feb. 2 to see if the repairs have been made; <br />Fridley and Rochester — are the best way to combat <br />otherwise, the revocation process starts anew. Last <br />bad landlords, Hauge said. <br />summer, Century Bank filed a notice that it intended <br />to foreclose on the property because of missed <br />"Overall, it would be good to have stronger <br />statewide tenant rights," Hauge said. "But when <br />advertisement <br />you're working with tenants in buildings like these, <br />you're working with low-income (people). ... It can <br />be a barrier to get into court and take time off to <br />assert the law. It's to their benefit to have a city <br />inspector who's making sure (the landlords are) <br />abiding by the law." <br />Hauge said Minnesota is behind other states in <br />regulating landlords. <br />New York City is trying new approaches. In August, <br />it launched an online "slumlord watchlist." Tenants <br />can call the city's public advocate office to suggest <br />that their building be included. Employees use <br />housing-inspection records to determine if the <br />building qualifies. Potential renters can look up — <br />htt://www.twincities.com/fdc?uniue=131842765471810/12/2011 <br />ppq <br /> <br />