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The City of San Diego successfully utilizes the health & safety receivership remedy for its most challenging substandard properties. San Diego KGTV 10News recently aired a story on how the City of San Diego approaches hoarding and other severe conditions within its communities. Receiver Red Griswold provides his insight and experience regarding the role of a receivership and how the remedy can resolve dangerous situations.

At Griswold Law, we are exposed to challenging hoarding conditions on a daily basis. It is our job as the court-appointed health & safety receiver to remedy the effects of extreme hoarding at residential properties across the State of California.

Partition Referee Richardson "Red" Griswold was appointed by the San Diego County Superior Court in June 2017 to take control of a downtown San Diego luxury condo unit that was the subject of a dispute between co-owners. After resolving occupancy issues, the property was listed and marketed by Mr. Griswold's court-approved real estate broker. As the Court's partition referee, Mr. Griswold acted as the "seller" in the transaction. Escrow closed in January 2018 and Mr. Griswold is currently analyzing the final funds distribution between the record owners.

Before Griswold Law Begins Rehabilitation of the Property

Partition Referee Richardson "Red" Griswold completed a long and complicated sale of an oceanfront multi-unit property in Laguna Beach for approximately $5.42M. Mr. Griswold was appointed by the Orange County Superior Court in November 2013 to act as the court-authorized seller in the transaction. Due to the unique nature of the property and its "historical" aspects, the process was fragile. In the end, the objective was reached and the partition referee duties were carried out in full to the satisfaction of all involved.

A health and safety receiver is appointed by a court to address property conditions that are considered unsafe and/or unhealthy risks to the occupants and the surrounding neighbors and community. Many times, the issues center on the physical condition of the property itself. For example, faulty electrical wiring, a gas leak, or a fire hazard within a dwelling is an immediate threat to the safety of the property occupant and the neighborhood. But other times, the threat arises from the "activity" at the property. I am routinely appointed as a health and safety receiver to take control of residential properties that have become a nuisance to the neighborhood due to criminal activity (drug use and sales, storage and sale of stolen property, etc.), squatters, and disruptive conduct at the subject property. In most cases, by time the city has filed their petition for the appointment of a health and safety receiver, the neighbors have suffered with these problems for years. After my appointment as the receiver, the initial focus is to restore control over the property, removing all unauthorized occupants from the property, and in most cases, securing the property so that I can proceed to the next phase of the receivership--rehabilitating the physical deficiencies at the property and making is a safe place for the occupants and the community.