Uninhabitable house

Dear Editor:On a recent trip to Downey, I was informed there were two homes that were unoccupied. I am in the real estate business and I went to look at the homes that are located next to each other at 11835 and 11841 Horton St. in Downey. I wanted to look at the exterior of the homes prior to asking about their availability for sale. When I looked over the properties they looked as if they were in need of minor repair from the outside but when I looked through the window I saw something I was not expecting nor prepared for. Both of the homes were full of trash. I could only get a look in one room of each home through a kitchen window in one and a living room window in the other. The inside of each home was disgusting. There were many cats in one of the homes and everything I could see was shredded. The smell was sickening. As a landlord, I have seen some unbelievable things when it comes to rental property. From what I understand, these homes are in this condition because of the owner and up until last year the woman who owns the homes lived in one of them in its current condition. I asked around the neighborhood and was informed that for years the city of Downey, animal control and Downey PD had all been informed of the "nuisance" and nothing was done. As a former resident of Downey, I was shocked to hear the city had lowered its standards to allow unsafe and unsanitary conditions in this once first class city. Ray Rowland Los Angeles

********** Published: March 7, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 47