Health & Safety Code Receivership Remedy: Help for Abandoned Properties

Abandoned properties hardly stay “abandoned” for long. If a property is uninhabited, it’s susceptible to takeover. Vandals, taggers, squatters and transients can move in and out, staying for the night—or for longer. A once-empty house can transform into a house covered in graffiti and trash in a matter of weeks. Vermin could move in as well and spread throughout the neighborhood. Abandoned properties make neighborhoods less safe and drag down property values for the other houses on the block.

Moreover, if there is no known occupant living in a property—who becomes responsible for damages or hazards that might occur there?

The Sign On San Diego watchdog blog “Just Fix It” has written about the dangers of abandoned properties in several articles about abandoned residential and commercial sites in San Diego county. The site invites San Diegans to report abandoned properties.

A Health & Safety Code Receiver can provide solutions to the problems stemming from abandoned properties. The city, county, or other appropriate entity can intervene by petitioning the Court for the appointment of a receiver. The receiver will then implement a rehabilitation plan for the property, transforming the property back into a safe and habitable structure.

Attorney Richardson “Red” Griswold is commonly appointed as a Health & Safety Code Receiver for dilapidated properties. Mr. Griswold also acts as the Director of the California Receivership Group, LLC, San Diego Division. Please contact Griswold Law for more information about receiverships.

For further reading on this topic, be sure to check out our recent articles on Health & Safety Receivership remedy for hoarding and slumlord-owned properties or browse the complete list of articles about court-appointed receivers.