PORTLAND, Maine — The city of Portland has reached a deal with Gregory Nisbet forcing the embattled landlord to fix up and clean a Dartmouth Street property he owns.
The building at 186-192 Dartmouth St. came under the public spotlight after another of Nisbet’s properties — at nearby 20-24 Noyes St. — was destroyed in the deadliest blaze in Maine in four decades.
A Nov. 1 fire at the Noyes Street building claimed the lives of six people and spurred three wrongful death lawsuits against Nisbet, who was accused by survivors of allowing disabled smoke detectors, blocked exits and the operation of what was supposed to be a two-unit structure as a crowded boarding house.
The following month, tenants at the Dartmouth Street property publicly demanded a city inspection of their property, saying their building was similarly dangerous to live in.
The landlord and tenants disagreed publicly over who was to blame for the condition of the Dartmouth Street building, but reached an agreement under which the residents would move out by Feb. 15. About a week before that date, however, the city filed a complaint against Nisbet in court blocking him from renting out the 188 Dartmouth St. part of the building until a slew of fire and safety code violations are resolved.
On Monday, the city signed off on a consent decree with Nisbet to resolve the legal dispute over the Dartmouth Street building, although the landlord must still contend with the wrongful death lawsuits related to the Noyes Street fire.
According to the deal reached on the Dartmouth Street property, Nisbet agreed to ensure the 186 Dartmouth St. portion of the building is used as a two-family apartment building — as opposed to a rooming house — and to secure and winterize the 188 Dartmouth St. portion, which is currently vacant.
The landlord also agreed to remove all trash and debris build up at the Dartmouth Street property, ensure smoke alarms are in working order, install a sprinkler head over the boiler and provide the city with a list of current tenants by the end of the business day Monday. By March 16, he must obtain a letter by a master electrician verifying the building’s electrical systems are in safe, working order, and replace an electrical socket in the basement of the 186 side of the building.
Nisbet must also keep written copies of leases with all future tenants and have them available for city review on demand, and implement a city-approved tenant screening process, including background checks.
