PORTLAND, Maine — A sticker that reads "Landlords are in season," was placed on the front of Vitalius Real Estate Group in Portland earlier this week, and local landlords said they now feel targeted.
Brit Vitalius, the owner of Vitalius Real Estate Group, said he views this incident as an act of violence and a threat to all landlords.
"Someone thought it was a good idea to threaten landlords in Portland with a picture of a gun," Vitalus said.
He said he was stunned to see the sticker posted on the doorframe of his business Wednesday when he arrived at work.
The sticker was still on the building when he left Thursday night, but it was gone by Friday. But even with the sticker removed, Vitalius said the threatening message to landlords still lingers.
"This threat of violence just has no place in our community," he said.
Vitalius has owned a business in the city for 20 years and said he has always felt safe and never felt the need to install security cameras outside his business.
He said he does not know who put the sticker on the building, but he and his employees said they can't help but believe that whoever did is close by and watching.
"You never want to show up for work and have a death threat," employee Lisa Smith said. "It's a little unnerving. You never know what's around the corner."
Since going public about the incident, a post on Reddit has been swarmed with comments inciting more violence.
One comment read: "Don't be a greedy landlord if you can't take the heat."
Vitalius acknowledged Maine is experiencing a housing crisis, but he explained that recent rent control ordinances passed in the city prevent property owners who aren't backed by big companies from making enough profit to cover recurring expenses.
"Insurance is up 20 percent. Taxes have gone up over 5 percent. And call a plumber and let me know how much that will cost you," he said. "And we can only go up 2 percent on our rents this year, and next year might even be lower."
Tim Robinson owns a five-unit apartment complex in Portland. The building is 150 years old, but his units have been renovated with new appliances, kitchen hardware, and windows.
"The third-floor ceiling needs to be replaced. This is going to cost me $10,000," Robinson said. "The carpenters were just here. The rents aren't going to swing that."
He explained that he will have to dip into his retirement fund to cover the repairs.
Robinson's apartment units neighbor Vitalius Real Estate Group. He said the recent threat to his neighbor's business feels like a slap in the face to local landlords.
Robinson said he understands some landlords overprice apartment units and price gauge, but he said property owners who do that are often affiliated with big investors and companies.
He said local landlords like himself love their tenants and do what they can to make living reasonable.
Robinson takes care of heat, water, sewer, maintenance, and snow removal for his tenants. He also offers off-of-the-street parking.
He said last year, he collected $54,000 in rent from tenants, but he spent $51,000 on regular maintenance and overhead costs.
"We keep rents low. We make it affordable," Robinson said. "My feeling has always been, 'If you don't like it, you're free to vote with your feet and go find some other place that's cheaper and that maybe fits your budget.'"
Vitalius said threats of violence won't solve any of the city's housing problems.
"The specifics don't even matter if they're advocating guns," Vitalius said. "We've got a bigger problem, but let's come together and work on it, not start threatening to shoot each other."
Vitalius said he's considering installing cameras at his office. He has not filed a police report about the incident as of yet.