Tenants at Delano st. Fighting for Inspection

Tenants at Delano Street in Van Nuys are struggling with the Landlords Management company, who didn't let the Health Inspectors inspect on July 14, 2009. The Health department, (according to them) said that because the management co. was filming the inspectors as they entered the walkway of the building the inspectors walked away from the apartment. If the health dept. is to be filmed, the managers need to get permission from the dept's. administration. Apparently it is against their policy.

Now that the inspection was cancelled Delano st. tenants were furious, with no inspection and many took a day off work they wanted to do something immediately. So they decided to go to the Health dept. that very instant to demand and bring back someone from the dept. to inspect the building.

We brought bags of bedbugs and roach traps to show the dept. that we mean business! If they were not to come to the apartments then we'll bring the apartment to them. The receptionist was not too fond of the critters. We responded by saying that we have to live this way if the dept. doesnt do anything and we will be back again with them if nothing is done.

We spoke to two ladies who were present at the apartment that morning and they told us about the Filming Policy being violated and the dept. is now sending a letter to the landlord so he'd go to the health dept's. office and explain why management people were filming without permission.

We demanded for us to be there, but to no surprise they denied us. However, the whole reason why the dept. was there in the first place was to inspect and gather information about the living conditions of the tenants and use it to sue the landlord. This is good because all our hard work and numerous complaints to both health and housing dept. plus, the media expose are now forcing health dept. to take these measures due to our persistence at getting the building repaired and fumigated.

The inspectors will give individual inspection dates to tenants. Even if it were one unit that was being inspected, whatever the result is, it applies to the whole building. The court date is not set yet, but we plan on being there to make it harder for the slumlord.