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HUD inspection finds multiple physical issues at Dorchester Apartments; city awaiting owner response
Summary
A HUD-contracted inspection of Dorchester Apartments identified problems including breezeways, siding, parking and moisture; the city says it has not received the inspector's full report and owners currently lack a capital plan to address repairs, while the property remains behind on payments.
City staff told the Franklin City Council that a HUD-hired inspector has provided the Dorchester property owners with a report identifying multiple physical issues at Dorchester Apartments, and that the city has not yet received a copy of that report.
According to City Manager Rosalind Oglesby, the inspector documented items such as breezeways, siding, parking-lot repairs and a wiring installation located under the building footprint. The manager said the inspector noted some moisture issues that the inspector attributed, in part, to poor housekeeping by residents, but that the report lists multiple physical deficiencies that the owners must address.
Oglesby said the owners are on a payment plan for outstanding obligations but remain behind on payments and do not have a capital plan in place to address the inspector’s findings. City staff reported that HUD provided the owners with a copy of the inspection report on a Friday and that HUD is awaiting a response from the owners.
Councilmembers pressed on whether the city’s inspectors had conducted an independent review; staff responded that city inspectors cannot enter private property without the owner’s permission and that HUD inspectors are expected to be thorough. Several council members asked staff to pursue additional steps, including requesting the full HUD report and considering whether local ordinances or a policy are needed to address recurring problems at multiple-dwelling properties that affect residents across units.
The city will follow up by requesting HUD’s report, exploring whether city inspections can be arranged or mirrored, and identifying policy options for faster municipal response to repeated building-conditions problems.
