Boarded homes hurt Plainfield neighborhoods.
With hundreds of Plainfield homes foreclosed in the past two years and no end in sight (see map here), I noted at Monday's Council meeting the city is boarding up homes at taxpayer expense. Is this the best way to handle this issue?
Could more be done to help neighborhoods where foreclosed vacant homes are not only an eyesore, but an invitation to vandalism and criminal activity, and a drag on property values and the efforts of nearby owners to sell their homes?
The answer is yes. Make that YES!
Hundreds of Plainfield homes were foreclosed in 2007-08.
All across the country, communities are experiencing the waves of foreclosures that have hit Plainfield and many are fighting back, holding the lenders responsible for maintaining properties in foreclosure.
What kinds of requirements are communities holding lenders to? Here is a sample list --
- Require lender inspection of homes prior to recording a “Notice of Default”;
- Require registering that property, or any found to be abandoned;
- For each abandoned property, pay an initial registration fee, and if the property stays abandoned for more than one year, a renewal fee;
- Once registered, properties are inspected immediately by the town to determine if they meet the city code. Owners required to maintain them following standards applied to other properties in the city;
- Owners required to hire a local property management company to oversee and maintain the property;
- Owners must post a sign identifying a 24-hour phone number for a responsible person who can be contacted in an emergency;
- Required to record any change of ownership or transfer of title with the city;
- In the event that bank-owned homes foreclosures are sold by a lender or bank, the buyer is mandated to inform the city about the sale in order to terminate the registration requirement;
- Failure to register a foreclosed home will mean paying a fine of as much as $1,000 daily.
Recently, Middlesex Boro adopted an ordinance with many of these provisions (see here).
Wouldn't it be a good idea for Plainfield's City Council to look into this sort of help for our beleaguered neighborhoods?
- Map: "Foreclosures, Plainfield, NJ: 2007-08" -- Click and hold on map to drag and use 'zoom' function to get down to individual property level.
- Courier: "Middlesex Boro will fine foreclosed properties if not maintained"
- Boston: "Foreclosure registration FAQ" | "Ordinance" (PDF)
- Indio, CA: "Ordinance" (PDF)
- Milwauke, WI: "About the Abandoned Properties Program" | "Ordinance"
Posts
6 comments:
Excellent ideas, with great benefit to the taxpayers with seemingly little cost, but I question whether the city has the ability to ramp up their infrastructure to properly manage the inspection, code enforcement and legal proceedings against hundreds of properties.
I read an article in the Times a few months back about Cleveland (I think, maybe South Bend?), and what struck me was the complexity of enforcement against the owners, who were often difficult to identify, and may themselves be out of business.
But certainly worth looking into, even if their has to be a policy of selective "cherry picking" enforcement.
Thank you 7:21. If the Council and the Administration believe that protecting taxpayer value is a VALUE, that should be a sufficient motivator, unless of course the taxpayers need to send someone a message...
As they USED to say, 'Where there's a will, there's a way'.
It has been true through the ages, that a teenager will not move unless they are directed to, so it is up to US adults to direct them in the path of picking up litter and mercy me, maybe even cut an elderly neighbors yard if they are not up to it. {They will recover from such exhausting feats by the Senior Prom ... i promise you]
Very positive suggestion. Maybe someone on the Coucil will surprise us Monday, Maybe it will snow. Which is more likely?
Seriously, if neither Administration or Council Leadership do not pick up on this, they are guilty of fiduciary malpractice.
There is at least one potential pitfall to watch out for. If the owner of a residence voluntarily leaves the property in anticipation of foreclosure, but the mortgagor cannot be found or refuses to foreclose, which is to say take responsibility for the property, the homeowner is then stuck with the bills as the owner of record. So as well as losing his/her equity and credit rating he ends up being billed for the taxes and upkeep of a house they can't afford to live in.
Wow..nice idea. Kudos!
Post a Comment