Landlord Left Untied Dismantled Furniture Out for Collection

DOS issued a violation notice to landlord for leaving six pieces of broken wood out for collection, which weren’t securely bundled or tied and were likely to be scattered on the sidewalk. Landlord argued that the wood wasn’t broken. It was parts of an Ikea desk that tenant had dismantled and placed out for collection in untied stacks. Landlord claimed that this wasn’t untied rubbish and was too heavy to be scattered. The ALJ ruled against landlord and fined him $100. Landlord appealed and lost. Landlord didn’t provide the dimensions of the wood pieces or their weight, so hadn’t proved that they were too heavy to be scattered. The wood pieces were “light rubbish” covered by Code Section 16-120(d), which must be tied or secured before being placed out for collection.

May: ECB App. No. 1000183 (5/27/10) [2-pg. doc.]