Hamilton council suspends landlord registration for owner of 1633 East State Street after repeated housing-code violations

Hamilton Township officials voted Feb. 4 to suspend the landlord registration of Jean Alexis for 90 days after hearing testimony that multiple rental units at 1633 East State Street were unsafe and occupied without required certificates of occupancy.

The decision followed sworn testimony from township housing staff and the township attorney that the property had been repeatedly boarded, declared unfit for human occupancy in prior years and, according to inspectors, was occupied in December 2024 despite those boardings and unresolved violations.

Township attorney Alyssa Grodstrager read a proposed decision and order into the record finding the defendant guilty of three ordinance violations and directing a 90-day suspension of the landlord registration. The order also prohibits new leases during the suspension, requires the owner to reapply and pay fees for a new registration, and orders that 1633 East State Street remain boarded until a new registration is issued.

Why it matters: Council and housing officials said the action is aimed at protecting tenant and public safety after repeated failures to remedy life-safety hazards and repeated cancellations of required inspections.

Fred Dumont, director of community and economic development, testified that township records and staff interactions showed repeated noncompliance and that, on Dec. 1, 2024, police and housing inspectors found the boards removed and multiple people — including a young child — living in the building despite the property being placarded and without certificates of occupancy. "I did" swear under oath that the information stated within the verified complaint is true and accurate, Dumont said on the record when confirming the complaint filed Jan. 15, 2025.

Richard Murdager, chief housing inspector, described interior conditions during the Dec. 1 visit: "The First Floor apartment ... shows the condition of the kitchen, how it's unusable. There's no stove ..." He told the council the basement had been partially finished without permits and that bathrooms and kitchen facilities on multiple floors were not functioning. Murdager also said the property lacked smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and showed peeling paint consistent with a lead-paint hazard where a minor was present.

Inspectors testified that the property had no valid certificate of occupancy for multiple units since before 2020 and that Jean Alexis repeatedly cancelled scheduled inspections that would have determined whether repairs met minimum life-safety standards. The township presented municipal-court evidence that Alexis failed to appear at a Jan. 13 court hearing and that a bench warrant was issued; the municipal judge temporarily suspended the landlord registration until the day after the council hearing.

The governing body voted orally on the proposed decision and order. The clerk recorded the roll call and the council approved the order; the hearing was then concluded by the presiding officer.

What the order requires: The written order read into the record finds violations of Hamilton Township ordinance numbers 268-3 (failure to obtain a certificate of occupancy for First and Second Floors) and 268-9(c) (prohibition on occupancy of basements) and suspends the landlord registration under ordinance 268-18(q)(4) for 90 days. The order bars the owner from engaging in any new lease agreements during the suspension and requires affirmative reapplication and payment of fees before any registration is reinstated.

Officials said the owner may pursue repairs and follow the township's permitting process; housing staff will supervise repairs and reinspections before any new registration is issued. The council concluded the hearing after the verbal vote and closed the matter.

Ending note: Township officials emphasized the action was taken on public-safety grounds based on repeated housing-code violations and inspector testimony; the council's action implements the municipal court's temporary measure and places further conditions on re-licensing the property.