Somersworth landlord fined $25,000 for failure to fix windows, remove lead paint

SOMERSWORTH — A judge in March ordered additional fines against Anji Reddy, the New Jersey landlord who for years has been at odds with the city code enforcement office and the recipient of complaints from tenants.

Judge Brad Lown ordered Reddy to pay a $25,000 fine plus attorney costs of $1,636.96 for his failure to comply with city violations, mainly replacing windows and remediating lead paint at 11 Ash St. Unit A.

In his ruling, Lown wrote Reddy had "failed to comply with the previous agreement" made to correct code violations at 11 Ash St. He noted Reddy had agreed to replace windows and to do lead paint abatement.

The city initially filed the new complaint against Reddy for not completing the work he had agreed to in 2023, on Jan. 3 of this year.

On Jan. 17, Reddy filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming he had done the required repairs. As part of that complaint, Reddy claimed he no longer owned the property, but the city learned that he had actually conveyed the property to a separate corporation Reddy controls.

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After hearing testimony from the city and Reddy, Lown ruled the work had not been done to state specifications and issued the fine.

"As part of Judge Lown’s order, Mr. Reddy must pay a penalty of 25,000 in addition to prosecution fees of 1636.96," city code enforcement officer Shane Conlin said in a written statement. "I hope that this ruling will serve as a deterrent to landlords in the community with neglected properties. The city will continue its pursuit in bringing this property and other properties in a similar condition into compliance though whatever means available."

Reddy owns several properties in the city and first came to public attention when a resident of 86 High St. hung a banner outside her window, begging Reddy to fix heat and water issues in that building, during the winter of 2022.

"This case has been ongoing since Dec. 30, 2022, due to the longstanding code violations the landlord has refused to remedy," Conlin said in a written statement. "Mr. Reddy violated the terms of his Aug. 25, 2023 plea agreement and as a result, the City of Somersworth, Code Compliance Office brought this case to trial on March 18."

Attempts to reach Reddy for a comment were not immediately successful.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth landlord Anji Reddy fined $25,000