Abdullah Shah denies slumlord accusations

The Edmonton landlord who has been accused of owning several inner-city slums says he is being unfairly maligned by his neighbours and the media because of a previous criminal record.

Abdullah Shah, formerly known as Carmen Pervez, told CBC News he makes a living buying condemned properties and turning them into rental properties. However, he said he is not the blight on the neighbourhood that some Parkdale residents are painting him to be.

"Slum landlord, I hear that all the time," he said.

"Somebody who doesn't know me, they'll say 'yeah, he's a slum landlord.'"

Earlier Friday, Shah won a victory before the Subdivision and Development Appeals Board (SDAB), which upheld the decision to grant him a permit to run a basement suite from one of the homes he owns on 87th Street and 113rd Avenue.

This summer, a group of people living in the neighbourhood had tried to appeal the permit, arguing that the suite will add to the problems his properties are already causing in Parkdale.

The landlord owns five properties on the same street. Neighbours tell CBC News that they are frequently rented out to criminals and troublesome tenants, who repeatedly cause property damage and commit crimes in the neighbourhood.

Many tell stories of illegal businesses being run out of the homes, as well as damage and theft by Shah's tenants. Others say street brawls and shootings connected to the homes make them feel unsafe.

Some have even said they have resorted to staying elsewhere on weekends in an attempt to escape the neighbourhood.

"Some of them, you know, they're in tears, they can't sleep, their health is suffering, their properties are suffering," Richard Williams, vice-president of the Parkdale-Cromdale Community League, told CBC News before the SDAB ruling.

"The morale of the community can suffer with something like this."

They said they have repeatedly complained to the city and to Shah himself, but have been ignored.

SDAB rejected the appeal this morning, saying that its only role was to determine if the suite followed the city's by-laws, and not to consider who would be renting the space.

Landlord blames previous conviction

Shah tells CBC News that he owns nearly 100 rental properties in the Edmonton area, and admits some have atrracted criminal activity. However, he said, as a landlord, he is limited in what he can do about the problem and has little control over the lives of his renters.

He also denied accusations that he has ignored complaints from people in the neighbourhood. According to Shah, when he has a troublesome tenant, he does what he can to get rid of them.

"I'm at the Landlord and Tenant Board on a monthly basis, evicting people," he said.

Shah believes the neighbours tried to block his application because of his own criminal record. In 2008, while still using his old name, he was convicted for his part in a $30-million mortgage fraud case.

He suggested that those opposing his application were prejudiced against him and were trying to get him to sell the properties.

"The problem is not the houses. The problem is that we have an individual who has served a sentence for mortgage fraud, and now he is housing criminals," he said. "The aim is towards Carmen Pervez."

Shah went as far to argue that his properties were providing a benefit to the community, as he was willing to rent to people who might otherwise be unable to find a place to live.

"What do we do with these criminals, where do we house them? Where do they go?" he asked.

"They need to have housing."

The landlord said he only applied for the permit for the 87th Street property because the previous owner was already running an illegal suite out of the basement, so he wanted to make sure it was above board with the city.

City's hands tied, mayor says

Mayor Don Iveson says he understands the disappointment of those trying to block Shah's permit, but said there is only so much the city can do.

In the case of the appeal board, it could only decide if zoning by-laws would allow the suite.

"I totally understand why the neighbours are frustrated and why they're taking that frustration through the development process. But the development process under provincial law doesn't distinguish between good owners and bad owners," he said.

Iveson feels the city needs more freedom to deal with concerns over bad landlords, which would have to come from the provincial government.

Neighbours in Parkdale have not yet decided whether they will appeal SDAB's ruling.