>A public hearing will be held Tuesday in the state legislature on a proposed bill to set up a system to temporarily take over apartment complexes whose owners defy state and local health and fire codes. > HB 6784, “An Act Concerning Noncompliant Landlords,” was introduced in the Insurance and Real Estate Committee by Rep. Kerry Wood, who represents Rocky Hill and Wethersfield. > Wood said the bill was inspired by complaints by tenants of Concierge Apartments in Rocky Hill, which is just around the corner from her own home. She said for years, resident complaints about crumbling conditions have been ignored by management. > “This once-beautiful property ... has been turned into one of most horrific places a person can live,” Wood said. “These owners have no regard for their tenants or the community.” > She said she has heard complaints on other complexes statewide. > “Rocky Hill is not alone. Echoes of similar stories are haunting towns and cities across the state. Legal recourse can take years and in the meantime, tenants are put in danger,” Wood said. > > According to Wood’s bill, “Upon receipt of not less than twelve claimed violations in any one calendar year submitted by tenants of the same rental housing property development, such local code enforcement officer may report such rental housing property development to the Attorney General who may submit an application for a private receivership in the superior court.” > Wood said once a receivership is established, it would last as long as it took to fix the problems at the complex. > “The receiver comes in and takes control of collecting rents. Within a month, rental income would be used to rehab the building,” Wood said. “It may take a month. It may take six months. Once the rental collection comes in, it goes right back into fixing the problem. Once it is fixed, receivership can go back to owner.”