Several bills have been introduced into the West Virginia Legislature.
Interesting about the first one, there is no indication where local governments will receive funding for this initiative.
House Bill 4097 ” requiring municipalities to maintain a program to assist homeowners who are eligible for the homestead exemption in maintaining their homes free of conditions that are unsafe, unsanitary, dangerous or detrimental to the public safety or welfare.”
To view the text of the bill, please click here.
Senate Bill 263
- authorizing a municipality to commence a proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction
in the county in which the property is located to compel a foreclosure; - defining a “vacant and abandoned residential property”;
- designating the section as the Zombie Property Remediation Act of 2020;
- requiring conveyance of the deed following foreclosure.
To view the text of the bill, please click here.
Senate Bill 265 “authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection to develop the Reclamation of Abandoned and Dilapidated Properties Program to reclaim abandoned and dilapidated structures in order to improve West Virginia communities”
To view the text of the bill, please click here.
- S3320: Establishes time restrictions for court issued consent orders for work performance to remove or remedy dangerous conditions or building code violations; permits sixty days for consent orders to be performed by an owner, mortgagee, or lienor of record and further restricts such person from using consent orders more than once.
Current Bill Language. - S1714: Relates to violations of the uniform fire prevention and building code.
Current Bill Language. - S1726A: Prohibits a person, municipality or governmental entity from using plywood, wood composite, wood veneer, or similar wood-based products to secure any real property that is deemed vacant and abandoned.
Current Bill Language. - S2813: Requires the installation of fire extinguishers in all multiple dwellings.
Current Bill Language. - S4938: Expands remedies for violations of New York state uniform fire prevention and building code.
Current Bill Language. - S7287: Increases the state code enforcement powers of the secretary of state by establishing a state code enforcement office headed by an ombudsperson.
Current Bill Language. - S7288: Relates to the creation of a statewide residential rental registry providing information relating to rental units including the number and types of code violations issued by the appropriate enforcement agency, and the number of findings of harassment currently on record with the code enforcement agencies.
Current Bill Language. - S7291: Relates to minimum standards for code enforcement personnel; requires the secretary of state to promulgate rules and regulations in relation to minimum standards for code enforcement personnel including requirements for training.
Current Bill Language. - S7292: Relates to penalties for code violations; provides penalties for second and third code violations.
Current Bill Language. - S7300: Relates to conducting investigations into the administration and enforcement of the New York state uniform fire prevention and building code and the New York state energy conservation construction code by counties.
Current Bill Language. - S7301: Relates to remedies for violations of the New York state uniform fire prevention and building code act which threaten imminent physical harm to occupants of a property.
Current Bill Language.
Non-Profit Partnerships
“One strategy in particular is making a resurgence: the reuse of uninhabited and abandoned properties for low-income affordable homeownership.” This quote comes from a recent article in NPQ (Non-Profit Quarterly). The article discusses broad usages of this strategy in areas such as Lincoln NE, Roanoke VA, Dallas TX, Evansville IN, Chicago IL, Tacoma WA and Milwaukee WI.
To view the article, please click here.
Repurposing for Utilization by Fire Dept.
“This is something new. This is something different and something that they don’t know so they get to sharpen their skills on these houses,” This quote comes from a recent report from KARK (Conway AR). The article discusses condemned properties being repurposed for use by the city’s fire department, including the funding source (not relying just on property donations). Though this strategy has been well utilized, based off the quote, it seems not all are aware.
To view the article, please click here
To see other usages of this strategy please click on the following links.
A recent article discusses amendments to a “VPRO” that now require “owners’ names and contact information be displayed on placards outside houses on the vacant building registry.”
This approach, though clearly well intended, brings up several questions.
- The city is paying for it.
- Though “nominal” in cost, cost is a cost. Clearly they are not aware that numerous other communities require the registering party to “post” the contact information.
- Does the risk outweigh the reward?
- Though comments by the city attorney state the new law “will not apply to property owners selling their homes who keep them in good shape and don’t let them get run down.” Will placards be placed on maintained properties not for sale (i.e. going through foreclosure)? All it does is advertise vacancy and potentially attract the criminal element.
- “City leaders say this would help first responders get in touch with owners if there’s an emergency.”
- Why is it not shared with first responders immediately? Several opportunities exist to utilize this type of information proactively, such as adding the vacant properties to regular law enforcement patrols. With the well documented association between vacant properties and crime this would be a tremendous benefit.
- “It also means owners of vacant houses won’t be able to stay anonymous. “The idea is put it there so everybody knows who owns the property,”
- The information can be shared to concerned parties directly. Whether its neighbors or neighborhood associations etc. No need to advertise vacancy. This approach also builds open communication between the municipal government and the concerned citizens.
When you read the articles you can clearly see the frustration the municipal officials feel as a result of the negative impacts vacant and abandoned properties are having on their community.
Will it work? Realistically, will direct calls and complaints to the owners from neighbors (with no police or court powers) be enough to spur action?
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. But going at it alone while not leveraging “best practices” from other communities that have the same challenges, is just not the right approach.
#worksmarternotharder #thinkoutsidethebox
Whether it was Zillow or Roofstock, the short-term rental market, the constantly rotation of mortgage servicers, or most recently entities like Fleq and Divvy, the landscape of who owns or who occupies properties in your community is constantly in flux.
A recent report from Fox News discusses a concept commonly referred to as “House Hacking”.
To view the report, please click here.
A recent article in the Dayton Daily News discusses the successes of their rental registry/inspection program.
Some of the results include;
- Rental property violations dropped by more than half, in the past two years.
- Fines for non-registration or non-compliance falling by more than 60 percent to near single digits.
To view the article, please click here.
As previously reported, in July 2019 New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced $9 million in grants to address the growing statewide issue of “zombie homes” – vacant or abandoned homes that are not maintained during a prolonged foreclosure proceeding.
On January 15th, Attorney General James announced over $8 million in grant awards as part of the Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (“Cities RISE”).
Cities will use these grants to launch innovative programs related to housing and strategic code enforcement. The program aims to innovatively address and transform blighted, vacant, or poorly maintained problem properties through the use of housing and community data from various state agencies.
To view the Attorney General’s Press Release, including comments from the recipient communities, please click here.
To view media coverage from the Yonkers Tribune, please click here.
During the Summer of 2019, following increased gun violence and tragedies that took the lives of children, Mayor Eric Johnson announced the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities. The Task Force received the mandate to provide recommendations to
the Mayor on non-law enforcement solutions to crime and violence in Dallas.
On January 9th, Mayor Johnson released the Task Force’s report, with the first recommendation to “Remediate blighted buildings and abandoned lots in high-violence locations”.
To view the Mayor’s Press Release and the report in its entirety, please click here.
To view a media article on the report from NBCDFW, please click here.
The report references a 2015 report from the Center for Community Progress. This report can be accessed by clicking here.