Every city I have ever lived in has landlords and run-down property like Dario Pini’s. The rents are cheap, but the conditions probably not the best. Usually the tenants who move into these properties are not able to afford the sky-high rents in the area and understand the building has challenges.

I have lived in apartments like these in my life. I moved in completely aware of the conditions, and understood that because of the low rents, I would have to deal with issues with the property. In a few cases, if the conditions were not tolerable (toilets not working, etc.) I contacted the landlord and offered to fix the problem out of the rent. The landlord understood that I could do this legally and allowed me to do the repairs.

I believe every city needs buildings like Pini’s because these are the only affordable places to live for many people. I think his case has been mishandled by our city, and I think there might be more of an interest in money than helping the tenants whose rent will surely be raised when this debacle is over.

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