BOSTON (WHDH) - It is moving day for airline workers who were found to be living illegally in a garage in East Boston earlier this week.
On Thursday, the tenants were seen carrying pillows and bedding, lifting heavy belongings, rolling full suitcases into an SUV, and driving off. Boston Inspectional Services said 19 flight attendants were paying $300 a month to stay in a converted garage near Logan Airport known to them as a “crash pad.”
Trish Bourassa has been a flight attendant based out of Boston for more than seven years and while she lives in Massachusetts, she knows some colleagues are taking advantage of “crash pads.”
“What they are is a place for flight attendants to stay when they’re in between trips,” she explained. “Most of your flight crews don’t live in state so they have to come up with something and most of the bases are in very expensive cities.”
While the practice may be common, city officials say this particular “crash pad” is illegal because it was missing smoke detectors, had no second entrance or exit, had a damaged fire alarm panel, the kitchen and bathrooms were installed without permits and there was improper storage of flammable materials.
The first floor of the garage was being used as a warehouse.
“What you really had was a death trap. I don’t think any of them knew it,” city inspector John Meaney said.
Housing advocates say this is an all too common occurrence.
“It’s the landlord’s fault — the management’s fault for one, renting a unit that’s illegal and two, for not living up to the expectations,” said Gabriela Cartagena who works for the non-profit organization City Life/Vida Urbana
“I was horrified. I was horrified for the people staying in it. I kept looking going it’s above a dirty garage! I don’t even understand this,” said Bourassa.
The city has taken control of the property.
7NEWS spoke with the man who owns the building. He claims he did register the apartment with the city and that he was only receiving rent from one person through an online portal.
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