The Real Estate Wonk: Tips for dealing with a mostly abandoned home - Baltimore homes, apartments, real estate: Buying, selling, renting and housing news from reporter Jamie Smith Hopkins

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June 15, 2009

Tips for dealing with a mostly abandoned home

It used to be a problem that plagued few neighborhoods outside older urban communities, but now abandoned and all-but-abandoned homes can be found everywhere. If you live near one, you know that an unmowed lawn can be the least of the troubles. So what do you do?

Bankrate.com suggests five rules: Research local laws to see what constitutes a violation. Call your local government if any violations exist. Contact the homeowner directly to see if he, she or it (if a bank) will take care of the problems or at least give neighbors permission to do so. Don't do anything to the property if you don't have permission (that's trespassing). And ask the real estate agent for help if the home is listed.

Rule No. 4 -- no trespassing -- might seem silly to a neighbor who can't see why anyone would mind if he cuts the lawn for free. And certainly people have been doing just that. But Bankrate.com points out that "if you mow the lawn and mistakenly cut a cable, you could be liable." Something to think about, in any case.

Some folks are following the universal rule about squeaky wheels and grease.

At LenderOffender, neighbors post complaints and photos about bank-owned properties in the hopes of shaming lenders into doing something. (I could find only one from Maryland, involving a house in the Eastern Shore community of Greensboro. A neighbor, noting that the former owners keep coming back to dump garbage, says: "The worst thing about this is when I look out of any window in the back of my house all I see is this trashed house that was a very nice house at one point and I can't do anything about it.")

There's SeeClickFix, a forum for people to note neighborhoods problems of all sorts, from trash dumping (attention Greensboro resident) to potholes.

And, of course, there's Baltimore Slumlord Watch, a local blog about vacant properties and their owners. It names names and encourages calls to the City Council.

Do you have one or more problematic vacant homes near you? Have you found some solutions?

Posted by Jamie Smith Hopkins at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Neighborhood improvement

Comments

"Bankrate.com points out that "if you mow the lawn and mistakenly cut a cable, you could be liable." Something to think about, in any case."

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Eh. I've cut a lot of these lawns. A quick survey of the property will identify hazards. The "risk" is certainly preferable to the ticks, mosquitoes, trash, etc. that proliferate on an unkempt lawn.

Posted by: jamie hunt | June 15, 2009 9:30 AM

Baltimore Slumlord Watch is great!

Posted by: pigtown | June 15, 2009 9:45 AM

If you live in Baltimore City, you can report a vacant house on the city's online 311 system. Be sure to write down the service request number and follow up online or with a 311 operator. If the property is not cited, you can call your property inspector and demand that he reinspect it in your presence.

Posted by: MCG | June 15, 2009 10:40 AM

Have you checked out NoPayTenants.com?

Don't forget, it was tenants total disregard for the property/owner that turned once nice homes into ruins. Have you checked out NoPayTenants.com? That website is full of slum-tenants.

Posted by: Missy | June 15, 2009 10:45 AM

Stepping on a property could get you sued by the lender, instead, enter the property in the LenderOffender.com database.

Posted by: Kent Crash | June 16, 2009 12:51 AM

Here are some great numbers you can call as well for vacant property issues:

WASHINGTON D.C.

District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (202) 442-4332

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Department of Housing Code Enforcement Section
240-777-3785

Prince George's County Department of Housing
301-883-HOME

Frederick County Department of Housing
301-600-6091

Howard County Department of Inspections
410-313-3800

Anne Arundel County Building Inspections and Enforcement
410-222-7784

Charles County Department of Community Services
301-934-9305

Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning
410-535-1600, ext. 2356

VIRGINIA

Fairfax County Department Blight Nuisance Vacancy Unit
703-246-7554

Arlington County Code Enforcement
703-228-3800

Pr. William County Neighborhood Division
703-792-7018

Loudoun County Housing & Community Development
703-777-0353

Alexandria Office of Housing
703-746-4990

Fauquier County Community Services
540-347-6850

Stafford County Code Administration
540-658-8650

Posted by: Shawn Costley | June 16, 2009 10:51 AM

Thanks, all!

Posted by: Jamie Smith Hopkins | June 18, 2009 10:06 PM

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About Jamie Smith Hopkins

Jamie Smith Hopkins, a Baltimore Sun reporter since 1999, writes about the regional economy. Her reporting on the housing market has won national and local awards. Hopkins is a Columbia native and has lived in Maryland all her life, save for 10 months spent covering schools in Ames, Iowa.
She trained to become a wonk by spending large chunks of time as a geek and an insufferable know-it-all.
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