Savannah Task Force Cracks Down on Illegal Rooming Houses

Earlier this week we told you about the City of Savannah’s stepped up efforts to crack down on illegal rooming houses.
It seems many of them have popped up in neighborhoods... some say because of the economy. Either way, they're not welcome.
So the City's created a joint task force comprised of police, zoning, and fire.
With a list of possible offenders, they're tackling the issue one location at a time.
The areas where they're spending most of their time?
Cuyler Brownsville and Savannah's Metropolitan Neighborhood, located right next to each other on Savannah's Westside.
"They are illegal, they are off the books, they don't comply with the law, and the tenants don't have rights under the law. So those tenant houses tend to have criminality issues, they tend to attract people that don't want to be recognized by they law," explains Bret Bell with the City of Savannah.
"3 On Your Side" Community Reporter Alice Massimi joined the task force today as they stopped in at a suspected illegal rooming house on Park Avenue.

From the outside it doesn't look like much but because of tips from the police the City's Illegal Rooming House Task Force is here for a visit.
Police, Zoning and the Fire Department are all here to take a look.
“The team effort aspect of this is difficult or even measure because all of us are able to add the perspective individually and collaboratively,” points out Craig Landolt the City’s Fire Marshall.
What's inside ...well we don't know as the door was closed once the investigation began.
But what we were able to see was this, a staircase leading up to two hallways and from what we are told the entire home is like this not a normal layout.
“There is a door there and it goes into a narrow hallway and a higher ceiling and there are doors or rooms on the outside of there,” explains Randolph Scott the Zoning Administrator.
16 rooms in all we are told.... Surprisingly Savannah's Zoning Administrator is not sure if it's illegal...
“The fact of the matter is and our investigation is just starting. They also mentioned that when they purchased this property 40/50 years ago they are saying it was designed this way.”
Scott says it could be a legal though non-conforming rooming house.
But there are some issues, life safety ones, once out of the home are discussed at length with the building owners...
Deadbolts will need to be removed; smoke detectors placed in every room and emergency lighting in the hallway... just a sampling of what needs to be done in the next 24 hours....to make this home a safe one.
The property owners did not want to speak on camera, but said they agreed to the inspection because they wanted to do what they needed to in order to be in compliance... granted, they have owned the building for more than 40 years...
They say it used to be a rooming house for railroad workers and that they have a permit for it to be a rooming house now... all of which will be hashed in court on Monday.