Vacant Homes: 8 Ways to Make Sure They’re Maintained

By Maggie Dokic on July 13th, 2016
Categories: Random Thoughts

With the foreclosure crisis, you may have noticed a vacant home or two on your block. Rather than see the home free-fall into disrepair, push local officials to take action before the untended house lowers the value of your own home.

Here’s a list of common vacant-home laws, rules, and programs. Call your local elected official’s office to find out what your community has in place and how you can get those laws enforced:

• Special assessments charged to owners of vacant homes to cover the cost of added police and fire protection.
• Mandatory fire, safety, or code inspections of vacant homes.
• Laws forcing a foreclosing lender to maintain vacant homes during the foreclosure process–especially important in states where foreclosure takes a year or more.
• Rules that let your local government make repairs to vacant homes and charge the owner for the work.
• Vacant-home registries listing contact information for owners of vacant properties.
• Housing courts that hear cases filed against owners of vacant homes.
• Programs that transfer vacant homes to community development corporations, housing nonprofits, or government housing agencies.
• Property codes that make owners of vacant homes secure their properties and add exterior lights.

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