That Neighborhood House (You Know the One)

Many neighborhoods have them. Ours does. You know what I’m talking about — it’s that house. It’s the house that has hot pink siding and green shutters, or four full-size satellite dishes, or a lifelike replica of a WWII navy fighter jet in the side yard. Or maybe, like the one in our neighborhood, it’s just vacant and in disrepair with no owner in sight.

In our community, that house is a green-sided traditional colonial that’s been without an occupant for about 4 years. Complete with huge, deteriorating solar panels on the roof (that’s what’s under the blue tarp), a deck with no rails, and an interior that’s weather worn due to roof and window damage, this house is a mess.

Several folks in the neighborhood have tried to do something about it, but to no avail. The county cuts the lawn occasionally and issues a fine to the owner, but they refuse to condemn the property. I’m not sure that the tickets are paid, but they are removed from the door. Apparently the standard for condemning a house in the county is pretty high.

Unfortunately, this house is on a prominent corner in the neighborhood. I’m sure it has had an effect on the property values of the houses near it. The immediate neighbor’s house was on the market for a year.

The owner of the property had listed the house for $380,000 about 2 years ago, an amount that simply didn’t make sense in any market, much less the one we’re in today. Last week, we finally saw it reduced to $250,000. It was marked as pending in the real estate database (meaning it is under contract by a buyer). This week, the listing is gone. We’re hoping that a buyer closed the transaction and the place will finally get some needed TLC.

What Can You Do About a Run-down House in Disrepair?

There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling helpless to fix a situation like this. Fortunately, there are a few avenues you can pursue:

Talk to the Owner…And Take a Friend

Obviously, the first step should be to try to contact the property owner and reason with them. There’s no substitute for friendly confrontation. Just don’t approach them angrily or your likely not to get any action. It may be helpful to take another neighbor with you who feels similarly.

Contact the HOA or POA

If that doesn’t work, and you are fortunate enough to live in an area with a home owners’ association (HOA) or property owners’ association (POA), you can appeal to the governing board of this organization. In order for an HOA/POA to act, the home must be in violation of the covenants of the community. If the house is in disrepair, it probably violates the covenants. Many HOAs have the ability to fine the homeowner, repair the house and charge the homeowner, or in worst cases, foreclose on the property. The latter is very rare and usually ends up in a court battle.

Contact the Local Government

If you have no HOA/POA and the property is in serious disrepair, you can contact the local government to see if you have any options. Most local governments in populous areas enforce some type of property maintenance laws. However, my experience is that governments are very slow to act on property issues unless they present an eminent threat. People simply don’t like the government involved in their individual properties, and this is reflected in our public policy.

If All Else Fails…

If the government is unwilling/unable to help, you’re left with the final, truly American option: move somewhere else. Of course the negative side effect of this is the slow decline of a neighborhood. Those who care about their properties move out to live near other similarly-minded people.

What do you think? Do you have that house in your neighborhood? Have you tried any of these tactics or others to solve the problem?