Bucks County is suing a pair of “crooked” landlords who allegedly exposed tenants to black mold, rodents and other unsafe living conditions while collecting weekly rent.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by District Attorney Joe Khan, has grown since its initial filing this spring to include 11 people who rented rooms from Richard and Ronald Goetter. The brothers, who did business as R & R Enterprises, owned an eight-bedroom home at 113 S. Main St. in Dublin Borough that was condemned in April after “years of disinvestment and disrepair,” per court documents. Recent inspections had revealed vermin infestations, no working smoke detectors, mold, blocked hallways and exits, only one functional bathroom and a total lack of heat.
The latter issue had been ongoing since at least 2013. Tenants told investigators that the Goetter family had repeatedly refused to fix the heat, leaving them to procure space heaters to warm their rooms. The devices were found all over the property, attached to extension cords that snaked across poorly lit common areas, posing “trip and fall hazards” along with fire risks. Tenants claimed the power frequently went out due to the high electrical usage…