New Hampshire Following in the Footsteps of New York State’s “Zombie Foreclosures” Legislation? HB 235 was introduced earlier this year in the New Hampshire Legislature. Interestingly, the bill text mirrors closely the “zombie foreclosure” legislationREAD MORE
Mount Vernon OH Confusion surrounds vacant property registry
Interesting article that discusses some of the nuances inherent with vacant commercial property registration and the attempt to draft proper language. Article provides comments from the Mayor, various councilmembers and the Law Director on severalREAD MORE
Federal Appeals Court: Saginaw vacant property registry doesn’t violate U.S. Constitution
A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge (class-action lawsuit brought by residents) to a Saginaw ordinance that requires owners of vacant properties to allow the city to enter if the property becomes dangerous. TheREAD MORE
State Fight The Blight and Vacant Property Registration Legislation
Following are a listing of various state initiatives surrounding Vacant Property Registration or general Fight-the-Blight Initiatives. Alabama Statewide Manufactured Housing Registration Ordinance Maine Statewide Notice to Municipality of Abandoned Property Statewide Notice to Municipality ofREAD MORE
GAO “(Vacant Properties) Growing Number Increases Communities’ Costs and Challenges”
In November 2011 the General Accounting Office issued a report titled “(Vacant Properties) Growing Number Increases Communities’ Costs and Challenges. Following are the highlights, the full report and additional information, is available by clicking here. SeeREAD MORE
GAO “Additional Mortgage Servicer Actions Could Help Reduce the Frequency and Impact of Abandoned Foreclosures”
Featuring the topic of “bank walkaways”, in November 2010 the General Accounting Office issued a report titled “Additional Mortgage Servicer Actions Could Help Reduce the Frequency and Impact of Abandoned Foreclosures” Following are the highlights, theREAD MORE
HUD Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) 2014 report “Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Turning Liabilities Into Assets”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) issued a report in 2014 titled “Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Turning Liabilities Into Assets” Following are the highlights withREAD MORE
2005 The National Vacant Properties Campaign Report “Vacant Properties The True Costs to Communities”
In one of the original reports on this topic, The National Vacant Properties Campaign (now the Center for Community Progress) discuss the true cost to communities as a result of vacant properties. Executive Summary ByREAD MORE
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing Guide “The Problem of Abandoned Buildings and Lots”
The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing was founded as a private non-profit organization in 2002. In 2015 it became a center at Arizona State University’s Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions, with affiliations withREAD MORE
Joe Schilling 2009 Study on Vacant Property Registration Ordinances
In 2009 Joseph Schilling (senior research associate in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center and Research to Action Lab at the Urban Institute, at the time of the study Director of Research and PolicyREAD MORE
Georgia Institute of Technology White Paper “Local Vacant Property Registration Ordinances in the U.S.: An Analysis of Growth, Regional Trends, and Some Key Characteristics”
In 2012, a white paper was authored by Dan Immergluck and Yun Sang Lee from the School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology along with Patrick Terranova. The study titled ” LocalREAD MORE
Center for Community Progress The Building American Cities Toolkit
The Center for Community Progress (formerly the National Vacant Properties Campaign) developed The Building American Cities Toolkit™. In the tool kit, in the section titled “Dealing with vacant property owners” you will find their overviewREAD MORE