Politics & Government
Bill Pushed by Norfolk County Officials Cracks Down on Illegal Apartments
The legislation will have a public hearing at the State House Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Local officials are putting their weight behind a bill currently before the state legislature that would subject landlords to fines and jail time if they rent dangerous, illegal apartments like the one in Quincy that went up in flames four years ago, killing a father and his two sons.
The bill, co-sponsored by both Sen. John Keenan, D-Quincy, Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-Quincy, and seven other legislators, will have a public hearing at the State House Wednesday, Nov. 20.
It was filed following the successful manslaughter prosecutions of three Quincy landlords held accountable for the 2009 fire and would make convicted landlords subject to a fine of up to $15,000 or jail time for a first offense and a fine of $35,000 or up to five years in state prison for a second.
“Manslaughter convictions did not bring those children or their father back," Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. "It was important to secure convictions for those crimes, but it is equally important that we move to prevent this from happening again if we can."
Morrissey worked with Fire Marshal Stephen Coan’s office to draft "something that is tight and enforceable," the DA said, adding that Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, "was immediately supportive when we asked him to sponsor it.”
The basement apartment at 100 Robertson St. in Quincy had only one exit and undersized windows that could not be used to escape, according to the DA's office. A lamp started a fire in an area between the only door and the sleeping quarters in the apartment.
"Evidence presented in the manslaughter prosecution showed that Oudah Frawi died trying to carry his sons Hassan and Ali to safety through impenetrable heat and flames," the office said.
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Currently, it is not a crime to "rent out an apartment that is a literal deathtrap."
“Stopping the renting of unsafe apartments now relies on a confusing set of municipal ordinances that vary in substance and quality from community to community,” Morrissey said. “The process is slow and inefficient.”
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He added, "What might sustain a violation in Braintree or Weymouth might be insufficient in Milton or Quincy, or the other way around. Creating a section in the General Laws with clearly defined elements, fixed definitions and state wide application, will provide a tool that can be used effectively to safeguard the public.”
Sen. Keenan said, “What happened in Quincy was a horrible tragedy, and this legislation will help prevent something like this from happening again. We're sending the message that the safety of tenants across the Commonwealth must come before profit."
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