Retrieved on December 8, 2009 from Philly.com

By Hayden Mitman, Star Staff

Port Richmond residents came seeking answers at a recent meeting held to discuss allegations against Robert Coyle Sr., owner of LandVest, a property management company.

Hosted by the Port Richmond Community Group, the meeting saw residents eager to talk about the district attorney's reported investigation of Coyle. Many wanted to find out if they might be one of the numerous homeowners who fell victim to Coyle's alleged rent-to-own schemes.

During the meeting, held Thursday, Nov. 19, state Rep. John Taylor (R-177th dist.) took the floor to help discuss the complicated state of affairs that has arisen in the wake of Coyle's alleged misdeeds.

The Port Richmond office where Coyle operated LandVest and close to a dozen other real estate companies was shuttered over the summer after authorities confiscated records, the Daily News reported.

According to lawyers with Community Legal Services, a group that provides legal advice and representation to lower-income residents and is investigating the allegations from homeowners and renters, Coyle allowed renters to enter lease-to-purchase agreements; those renters would fix up the properties, and Coyle later allegedly later falsified paperwork to have tenants evicted.

Homeowners claim Coyle never provided paperwork for the agreements and when he did, he didn't honor the contracts.

The issues only came to light when the banks through which Coyle mortgaged homes decided to collect on their debts. Also, the Daily News detailed a series of allegations against Coyle, who has not been charged with any crimes, in an Oct. 26 investigative report.

Coyle defaulted on millions of dollars in loans and now, throughout Port Richmond and in many communities in the river wards, renters who thought they had iron-clad deals to purchase homes found out that Coyle's promises didn't hold water.

So far, a number of banks have postponed sheriff's sales of properties mortgaged through LandVest or through one of Coyle's many ancillary companies. LandVest allegedly rented dilapidated properties with the promise that if tenants paid rents and made repairs, they could eventually own the home.

Now, many residents are looking for ways to keep the homes they spent thousands of dollars to rehabilitate.

A recent Daily News article contended that the district attorney's office has been investigating Coyle for some time.

Contacted to comment on this article, Brian E. Quinn, Coyle's attorney, did not return calls.

A BIG PROBLEM

In addressing the concerns of residents, Taylor said complaints with problem landlords like Coyle and others have "consumed our office for many, many years."

"He's not the only one. This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Taylor. "It's a problem with the city's ability to handle its housing stock."

Taylor said landlords like Coyle are able to operate by renting blighted or nuisance properties.

But, he believes if community groups like the PRGC and the city's Redevelopment Authority were able to take over blighted properties, they could address them before they become a problem or are bought up by predatory landlords.

"We need something like a conservatorship in a community group that can go to a court and say 'this property needs to be rehabbed,'" said Taylor. "The owner can then buy it back after the improvements are made or forfeit it (to the community group)."

Taylor's suggestions were well-received, but many in attendance wanted to know what to do about homes left in limbo by the unraveling of Coyle-owned companies such as LandVest.

"That's hard. I think every situation is different," replied Taylor when asked what LandVest tenants should do until Coyle is formally charged. "I think we'll try to go to court in the next couple weeks."

AN EARFUL FOR COYLE

Stepping forward first to air out complaints against Coyle, Dana Luciani, 28, said she was a LandVest tenant at a property along the 3000 block of Kip St.

She said she was evicted from the home without notice and she fears that she might be one of the many tenants that Coyle allegedly evicted by using falsified paperwork.

"I should have known something wasn't right," she said. "I had problems there since day one."

LandVest tenant Lisa Dougherty, 39, said that her LandVest-owned home on the 2000 block of Salmon St. deteriorated quickly after she moved in.

At first, she said, employees from LandVest came out to the home and would address her concerns with the property, but after the sewage system stopped working and roaches invaded her home, Coyle stopped sending anyone to help.

"When I moved in, they made everything look really good, but everything just started breaking," she said. "It got to a point where he said 'it's your problem.' "

Taylor said that he's often at a loss when tenants involved in rent-to-own agreements come to his office for help because the agreements aren't commonplace.

"This lease-to-buy ... it's not something they teach you in law school," he said. "You either lease or you buy."

For the time being, it seems that local residents can only wait to see if authorities will formally charge Coyle. Many are concerned they could be left homeless.

Taylor said the entire situation and the many allegations against Coyle have grown into a complicated issue that will need to be handled on a case-by-case basis in the courts.

"This is a huge problem. Some of these homes are normal rental situations," he said. "This is a long-term, structured problem. It took decades to happen and it could take decades to fix."

Asked how his office might have stepped in earlier, since, Taylor said, his office had heard complaints about Coyle's properties for years, Taylor said his office was trying to stop predatory landlords from renting unsuitable homes by addressing the problem of blight throughout his district.

Back in July, Taylor introduced House Bill 2188 - also called the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act - under which blighted properties could receive an overhaul with the creation of a "conservatorship" process.

The bill passed the state house and senate and currently awaits approval from Governor Ed Rendell.

While that bill might help tackle the problem of abandoned and blighted properties in the community, Taylor said he just recently learned of Coyle's allegedly illegal activities.

"Our focus was dilapidation, nuisance and abandonment," he said. "This criminal side of it ... we just didn't know about."

Reporter Hayden Mitman can be reached at 215-354-3124 or hmitman@phillynews.com

Have questions?

Community Legal Services will help any homeowners who fear they may have been victimized by lease-to-purchase deals.

They are asked to bring all paperwork and applicable information to the agency's office at 3638 N. Broad St. on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Residents may call 215- 227-2400 for more information.