Own A Vacant House? What About the Neighbors?

There are many vacant houses in Huntington. Many of them are vacant due to a death, and the folks who are responsible for deciding what to do with the property live out-of-town. Sometimes, the yard and general appearance of the vacant home become an issue with the neighbors. And the unkempt condition may, in fact, cause harm by reducing the market-value of the neighboring homes and, eventually, damaging the reputation of an otherwise nice neighborhood. Here is an example:


In a comment made on another issue elsewhere on this blog, Anonymous said...

"In our Southside neighborhood, mostly a well cared for place, we have a house where a lady died and no one has lived there for almost a year. She has a son living here but they are not doing anything to take care of the property. The leaves accumulate and they do not mow unless someone calls him and asks them to. The house is run down and I heard they have no intention of doing anything with it. What recourse do I have if any? Thank you for all you do."

This kind of situation is unfortunate for the folks who are left with a responsibility they truly wish they did not have. However, fair-play dictates that the property be kept clean and tidy.

As always, The Golden Rule should be in play. Approach the young man and let him know of the neighborhood's concern. If you find that there is good reason why he does not keep the leaves cleaned up and the grass cut, maybe the neighbors could agree to help out. Nice is always better. Let me know how it goes.

(If you would like to comment, just click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post. You can do it anonymously, and we need your participation in these community discussions, which are meant to stimulate citizen involvement in making our city a better place to live, work, study and play.)