WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Le’Angela Alsup and her roommates have been sharing a small West Valley City apartment for almost two years.
“It was cheap," she said. "It was affordable for me in my low standards of living.”
Alsup said they did everything right: signed a lease, paid their rent on time and obeyed all the rules. Yet this week, they got a notice from their landlord that they have 15 days to get out.
“I didn't think to second guess or to ask questions like, 'Hey, what's your line of history?' Or, 'Where's your license?'" she said. "I didn't think anything of that because when you go to rent from somebody, you're expecting honesty from that person.”
The landlord has set up the units in violation of building code, said Layne Morris, the community preservation director for West Valley City.
“Each one of those is rented out at a premium to people who are, frankly, being victimized," he said. "They end up with improvised electrical service, improvised heating that really becomes dangerous. It is an imminent life and safety hazard.”
The landlord, Todor Peykov, thinks West Valley City’s building codes are unfair.
“If there is a sublease, a sublet, or more than one lease for the unit, they consider that a boarding home, which I don't think is a boarding home," he said. "It's basically a room rental. But you know, you cannot fight against paperwork or big government.”
But since the city is enforcing its code, Peykov has no choice but to force the tenants to vacate, he said. This leaves them little time to find a new home they can afford, said Kevin Little, one of Alsup's roommates.
“It takes a while," he said. "It's not something you can just drop and do. The prices were outrageous. I don't know how people do it these days.”
The city’s plan is to get Peykov to either comply with the city’s code or sell his properties, and if he doesn’t, they’ll revoke his business license, preventing his properties from being rented out.
