One by one, officials condemn blighted Monterey apartments.

“DANGER… KEEP OUT,” reads a notice posted to the front door of Apartment #1 at the complex at 359 Larkin St., in Monterey’s Old Town neighborhood. Piles of personal belongings, dishes left in the kitchen sink and food left on countertops are visible through the windows. It’s as if the people who lived there left suddenly, never to return. Another tenant offers a clue: The former tenants told him before they moved that broken pipes under the apartment led to mold, contaminating everything.

One by one, six of the 11 permitted units in the complex, built in 1932, have been deemed uninhabitable by Monterey code enforcement officers since last December, after the city received numerous complaints from residents.

Problems include mold, a hole in the ceiling of one unit, broken heaters, broken windows, disintegrating roofing and more. One bright red notice states that mold and blood were found inside. City officials wait for tenants to move out and then quickly “red tag” each unit before anyone can move in.

Officials have stopped short of condemning the entire small complex, which would force all tenants out. One 20-year resident, Derek Dean, says his studio apartment has no issues. “I just love living here. I’m two blocks from the ocean and two blocks from downtown,” he says. “It’s just been like a little piece of heaven living here.”

In addition to blighted conditions with other units, inspectors found three unpermitted units in addition to the 11. “We’re not sure how they added more units but that’s something we’re investigating as well,” Monterey Chief Building Official Lori L. Williamson says.

Williamson adds they’ve been attempting to work with property owner and Monterey resident Leslie J. Flores since December to make improvements to the apartment complex and bring units back up to code, but Flores has been unresponsive. She says a contractor contacted the city in July about possibly making repairs.

(Flores did not respond to the Weekly.)

“Ultimately, if the owner doesn’t do anything, then we have to go through other means to abate that, and it’s not easy and it’s not quick,” Williamson says. Under California law, the process for municipalities to abate blighted and unsafe properties is a lengthy one involving multiple notices and hearings. The city could ultimately do the repairs and place a lien on the property to recoup expenses.