Slumlord Has New Address: County Jail

An apartment owner described as Anaheim’s most notorious slumlord has begun serving a 300-day jail sentence, the toughest ever handed down for building code violations in that city.

Amrit K. Bhandari, 59, convicted five times since 1989 for failure to keep his rental properties up to Anaheim code standards, was supposed to begin his jail term two years ago today.. But he remained free until he finally exhausted his appeals.

“People like Mr. Bhandari take advantage of those who cannot afford to live anywhere else,” said John Poole, the city’s chief code enforcement officer. “We’ve never had a landlord with this many problems before.”

Bhandari, who has owned or managed nearly a dozen apartment buildings in Anaheim, had pleaded guilty in 1993 to a misdemeanor violation of city codes, which included inadequate plumbing, vermin infestation and other deteriorating conditions. He was placed on probation on condition that he not let his properties fall below city code standards again.

Three years later, Bhandari was back in court, accused again of operating slums dotted all over the city. He admitted he had violated his probation. In a compromise to stay out of jail, Bhandari agreed that he would no longer own or manage any properties in Anaheim.

In 1997, however, city officials took him back to court, alleging that he not only had used subterfuge to hide his continued apartment ownership and management, but that once again the conditions of his buildings were well below code standards. Then-Municipal Judge Richard E. Behn ruled that Bhandari had misled city officials about his properties and that many of them were still infested with mice and cockroaches.

Bhandari’s attorney, Moses Hall of Fullerton, argued that the city did not have a constitutional right to force him to give up his properties. Bhandari only agreed to the city’s demand that he get out of the rental business, Hall said, because “it was either that or go to jail. What would you do?”

Bhandari lists his occupation on voter registration records as a pharmacist. But Hall said his client’s business has always been as a real estate broker and property management.

Bhandari had been found guilty of violating probation at least half a dozen times previously, but never served more than 45 days in jail for any of his convictions.

Hall blames Bhandari’s problems on his tenants.

“We had hoped the city would be more understanding,” Hall said. “Some of these tenants are so rough you face the threat of a gun in the face if you try to collect rent on time.”

But Anaheim Deputy City Atty. Mike Burke said blaming tenants is not acceptable:

“It is true that it’s a vicious cycle--the more rundown the property, the more difficult it is to get good tenants. But it’s the landlord who has control. He can always clean up the property, or get rid of problem tenants.”

Code enforcement chief Poole said Bhandari’s jail sentence, which he began serving Thursday, was “a victory for the vast majority of property owners who do take our codes seriously. We hope this sends a message that we will not tolerate these kinds of blatant violations.”

Hall said he will take Bhandari’s case to federal court and hopes to get him released from the Orange County Jail pending a federal hearing.

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Times librarian Sheila A. Kern contributed to this report.