Bucks County prosecutors have gone to court against a pair of landlords they say ran a long‑running “slumlord” setup in Dublin Borough, allegedly trapping low‑income tenants in unsafe, unlivable apartments on South Main Street. The civil complaint lands on the heels of the recent condemnation of a multitenant building on the 100 block of South Main and the eviction of everyone living there, a move officials say finally blew the lid off years of neglect and deception.
In a complaint filed in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, the District Attorney’s Office accuses Richard and Ronald Goetter and a fictitious business entity, R & R Enterprises, of collecting rent on units at 113 S. Main Street while ignoring basic safety and habitability requirements, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors say tenants were left to “choose between staying in unsafe housing or facing homelessness” for more than a decade. “Tenants have a legal right to basic safety,” District Attorney Joe Khan said in the release.
Officials said residents went without heat through last winter, dealt with rodent and insect infestations, and lived in a building that inspectors concluded posed life‑threatening conditions, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. The property was condemned on April 13, and all tenants were ordered out. Prosecutors say inspection records and past complaints point to a pattern of hazards stretching back years.
Inspections And Local Officials' Reaction
Local inspections uncovered black mold in a shared bathroom, a piece of plywood covering a hole in a bathroom floor, blocked or inaccessible emergency exits and only one working bathroom in what authorities described as an eight‑bedroom building, according to Patch. Dublin Borough Police Chief Michael Regan told the outlet it was “the worst cases of squalor and hoarding I’ve seen in my 45 years in law enforcement.” Officials say hoarding conditions, electrical issues and a lack of heat combined to create serious fire and health dangers.
What Prosecutors Are Asking For
The lawsuit asks a judge for a permanent injunction against the alleged conduct, restitution for affected tenants and civil penalties under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, the county release states. Because several tenants are over 60, prosecutors note the Goetters could face enhanced civil penalties for each violation. The District Attorney’s Office is casting the case as a relatively new way to use consumer‑protection law to go after landlords accused of chronic neglect and deceptive practices.
Why The Case Matters
The complaint lands amid simmering regional debates over renter protections, how aggressively municipalities should inspect rentals and what tools officials really have when landlords rack up violations, according to reporting and analysis by the Bucks County Beacon. Housing advocates argue that leaning on consumer‑protection laws in cases like this could reshape how long‑term code problems are tackled across local governments.
Where Displaced Tenants Went
After the building was condemned, county human‑services workers and mental‑health co‑responders teamed up with police and the hoarding task force to secure housing for the six residents who had to leave, Patch reports. Local officials praised the coordinated effort and said the lawsuit should send a blunt message to landlords that basic safety standards are not optional.
The civil case is now pending in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. Prosecutors say a ruling in their favor could strengthen the legal playbook for protecting renters in similar situations. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the South Main Street property, or who previously rented there, to contact the District Attorney’s Office as the case moves ahead.
