Dozens relocated after GuestHouse Inn and Suites in Springfield condemned

A fence ringed the property at GuestHouse Inn and Suites in Springfield on Thursday as moving trucks and piles of stuff sat in the parking lot and boards went up on doors and windows.

Residents were abruptly removed on Wednesday after the condemnation and closure of the hotel, where around 75 people had been living. Local service providers are helping relocate people who called the building at 3350 Gateway St. home.

The fire marshal had ordered immediate evacuation of the property after a real estate receivership company in charge of the property declined to address critical safety issues found during a Tuesday inspection, according to a press release from the city of Springfield.

One resident told Tim Morris, the executive director of the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association, they woke up Wednesday thinking they had a home only to get a knock on their door to learn they had to leave.

The city clarified the action was not an eviction and the tenants have some remedies under state law because they had to evacuate after a government agency posted the location as unlawful and unsafe to occupy.

Morris said SETA knew about conditions at GuestHouse and would never advocate for people living somewhere that's uninhabitable but had hoped there would be an exit strategy.

"It was not a great living situation for sure, but it was four walls," Morris said.

A Tuesday site visit after increased police calls and reports of potential fire and health code violations led fire, building and public safety officials to condemn the building, according to the press release.

The inspection found multiple deficiencies with fire protection and other critical building systems, including:

• A non-operational fire alarm monitoring panel

• Damage and functionality issues with multiple fire separation walls and doors

• Obstructions to multiple exits and exit pathways

• Multiple guest room doors screwed shut

• Live electrical wiring hanging from several ceiling sections

• Multiple sections of ceiling assembly missing

• Heavy concentrations of mold and raw sewage

Based on the conditions, which posed a "present and imminent danger to occupants," the city issued a notice of violation and placed the building on 24-hour fire watch.

A lot of the issues making the property uninhabitable were property based, Morris said, and the owner and landlord could and should have prevented them.

Morris expressed frustration that tenants are suffering because of a situation caused by the landlord.

Ali Hospitality managed the hotel until November, when the property transferred to Ampleo, a real estate receivership, amid a lawsuit about conditions at the hotel.

The hotel's website describes it as "clean, modern and comfortable" with rooms and suites of all varieties.

Three residents sued at the end of November after receiving what were effectively eviction notices.

In the lawsuit, the residents alleged property owners were making their homes uninhabitable by removing the boiler and deactivating key cards and had given defective notices terminating residential tenancies.

The residents all had lived in the hotel for at least a year and were paying rent on a month-to-month basis. The tenants paid between $1,320 and $1,500 a month to live there. An attorney for the residents did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

That lawsuit is ongoing and involved a stay of the notices terminating people's residency and efforts to remove the boiler or disrupt utilities as well as orders that the residents be able to enter their units and access their mail.

"We are not in a position right now to know whether the previously-issued temporary restraining order is still in place or the legal status of the occupants who were required to leave the premises last night," Kristina Kraaz, Springfield's assistant city attorney, said in a statement. "The City is not a direct party in the lawsuit between the landlord and tenants and isn’t a party to any restraining order affecting this property."

Ampleo "declined to repair and/or mitigate the noted violations," the city said in the press release, so the fire marshal ordered immediate evacuation of the building.

A representative for Ampleo listed in court documents did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Carry it Forward, HIV Alliance and other service providers were on site as the city worked to clear the building by 8 p.m. Wednesday.

There are limited motel vouchers available to help residents with the transition.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Dozens relocated after GuestHouse Inn and Suites condemned