Blog

Guest author Pete Roque of 4 Leaf Inc explains how different communities structure their code enforcement team into different divisions. Code enforcement is a great way to ensure that your community is not overtaken (or ruined) by unsightly buildings, houses, activities, or businesses.

Guest blogger, Michael Halpern of MuniReg LLC explains how inadequate resources can negatively impact code enforcement officials. Regardless of setting, a fresh set of eyes or an outside perspective is often needed to address lingering issues. Municipal governments are not immune to these challenges. One such area centers around the work of code enforcement officials.

The story of an abandoned property does not always start with the owner of the property packing up and walking away. Often, these properties belonged to someone who is now deceased and next of kin either can’t be found or doesn’t exist.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the country, concerns about economic insecurity and safe housing have overtaken the national dialogue.

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.

The National Vacant Properties Campaign held its annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio last week. There to explain the positive impact that receiverships can have on vacant/abandoned properties in cities across the nation was Mark Adams of the California Receivership Group. Mr. Adams is a friend and mentor of mine.