The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-24

people he had as tenants, their names and
occupations, or else be liable to fine and
Imprisonment. This measure was intend.
ed to guard against the overorowding OF
the lower grade tenement, with four or
five families on floor. but 1t applies to
all observation-disclosures as well.
A prominent architect, one who has
put up many handsome and satisfactory
apartment-houses, was asked II Increased
light and space in moderate priced flats
would not be possible in the near future,
because SO many active brains are en-
gagged In solving the problem.
1t ~ becoming serious question as
TO whether, under existing circumstances,
apartment-house building in this city
Will not come to a STOP" he replied.
Since the enactment of the new law last
July, relative to the area to be occupied
IN building, good many plans have
been passed on by the Superintendent of
buildings, but none of the houses have
been completed to test their practicable
ty The new law STIMULATES that only 65
per cont of the area of any lot shall be
Superintendent of Buildings shall spec
tally permit more ground to be used,
when the limit may be extended to rs per
cent Up to the time of the passage of
this law rs per cent of area was allowed. ="
lis fiat or sapartmsnt-house paying
luVesIIDontI' was asked.
Very poor, just at present." was the
answer. 1.-THE landlord must pay first
the interest on his mortgage, then water
rent taxes, gas, GOAL, insurance and
Janitor's wages. In addition, repairs are
constantly needed, and always when q
tenant goes out new paint and finishing
and furnishing up must be done. btf ire
another comes in. One family want their
walls blue, another green. Where leases
n ia -or1 tho Low hn1 Of
protection, but people constantly move
out. on one pretext or another, whether
they have lease or not, and if the land
lord seeks re dress in court he only makes
another source of expense in the matter
of lawyers fees. -
Il own an observation-disclosures whore the
| apartments rent for $40," said one man
when approached on the subject. 1.-The
caretaker has just been here to tell me
that in his absence yesterday afternoon
one of the tenants skipped. A truck
oame and moved him away, bag and bag
gage. This will lose me just three
months rent. No tenant who leaves in
that way ever pays the last months rent.
If get another tenant in right away,
which is doubtful, he will ask for the first
months rent free Chat practice is almost
universal now, then the additions and
improvements necessary since the other
tenants departure will absorb another
months rent. 1t would be of no use for
me to sue the absconding tenant; he is
only workman on salary, and l should
get no satisfaction-only have lawyers
fees to pay. If landlord gets 6 per cent
on his money he is lucky. When you see
apartment houses advertised for sale,
houses which are paying Is per cent
interest. you can just put it down that
there is something crooked in the pro-
ceedings" continued this HORSEPOWER.
Frequently landlord who proposes to
sell the property offers his apartments
rent free for three months, to induce
good tenants to take them. His prices
are high, but owing to the three months
inducement. the apartments are rented.
He then computes the income from the
| house at the rent those families are sup
posed to be paying, and figures it up so
attraotively that he quickly finds buy
| er. Those tenants stay until the end of
that year only; then they seek cheaper
quarters, and the apartments which
would never have legitimately rented for
that price per month are left vacant on
the new owners hands. Cheap apart
ment- houses are frequently put up just
SO as to sell again after they have been
filed with tenants at fictitious rents. The
custom of giving apartments the first
month rent free has come to be almost
general. No, I should not regard an
apartment-house, legftimatelyE conducted.
as paying investment"