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Contract inspector Mike Italia details hundreds of rental parcels and serious hazards found in Morrisville inspections
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Summary
Mike Italia, the boroughs third-party code contractor, told council his team identified roughly 349 rental parcels and completed about 467 unit inspections, finding no-heat/no-water situations, illegal apartments and hoarding that in some cases required court follow-up.
Mike Italia, regional manager for Barriosette and Associates, told the Morrisville Borough Council on March 17 that the boroughs first year of a systematic rental-inspection program identified about 349 parcels used as rentals and resulted in roughly 467 rental-unit inspections.
The inspections, Italia said, uncovered a range of urgent safety problems: units without running water or heat, residents heating homes with ovens and portable heaters after winter cold snaps, illegal apartments added in basements or above businesses, and at least one fatality tied to hoarding conditions. "We went into rental during the cold snap and found it was being heated by an oven," Italia said, describing conditions the inspections revealed.
Italia said the program aims to balance tenant safety and landlord cooperation. "When we make them aware of it, usually we get a pretty favorable response, and they correct the items," he said, while acknowledging some landlords are absentee and some cases must proceed to court. He said the firm works with local public safety agencies and the county health department on cases that require additional enforcement or documentation.
Council members asked about the programs legal limits and entry procedures after referencing a recent Pottstown case. Italia said the team documents "denial of entry" incidents and will seek warrants only with probable cause; he emphasized that inspectors do not force entry without legal authority. He added county partners provide vector-control responses when residents report rats or other public-health hazards; residents were advised to file confidential reports with photos through the boroughs Tracer system so the county will act.
Council members and residents thanked the contractor and borough staff for the increased enforcement. One member noted the practical difficulty of correcting long-running problems and urged residents to report unsafe conditions so inspectors can respond.
The presentation was part of the meetings public segment of the code-enforcement report; Council did not take additional action on the rental program at the March 17 meeting.
