That assessment has left between 40 and 50 tenants, who were evacuated from the building Wednesday, scrambling to find a place to stay, while they wait to learn whether their landlord will make the required repairs and bring the building up to code. Most are Chinese immigrants who speak little or no English, with few other options for housing.
Whether the residents will be able to move back in will depend on the landlord’s response, said Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser.
“We have multiple fire and building code violations in this building that we feel make it unsafe for people to live in the building at this time,’’ Fraser said. “It’s incumbent upon the building owner to make repairs and make the building safe before people can come back in.’’
Firefighters first entered the building Wednesday afternoon in response to a false alarm. After noticing the missing support beams, they evacuated all the apartments. The landlord paid to house residents in a hotel on Wednesday night.
The shabby white building has five stories. The bottom two floors are mostly empty, save for rat traps, and the top three floors each have 11 one-room units. Residents said they pay between $550 and $650 per month for a room.
Lisa Timberlake, spokeswoman for Boston’s Inspectional Services Department, said she was not aware of any previous inspection violations for the building.
The landlord will be cited for letting the certificate of inspections expire, though she said she did not know how long it had been lapsed. Before the building can be opened back up to residents, the landlord will have to apply for a new certificate of inspections and a new rooming house license.
