'Nobody home' becomes everyone's problem

May 27, 8:28 PMHousing ExaminerDena Kouremetis

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Housing Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Lazy summer days are usually the ‘busy’ season for real estate professionals, characterized by families making moves between school years, empty nesters downsizing to smaller homes and people taking new jobs.

The look of the season has changed, however, complicated by the economy and a preponderance of short sales and foreclosures decorating the real estate landscape -- oftentimes not in a good way.   Abandoned homes can fall into disrepair due to lack of maintenance.  The gardener no longer arrives on Thursday afternoons.  The pool has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Gates to backyards are not secured, tempting neighborhood children to enter and play unobserved.  These abandoned properties can set the stage for disaster while becoming blight on surrounding neighborhoods.  

So who is responsible for the home when the owners vacate? How can you prevent damage or worse  -- squatters?

"The answers depend on where you live and the code enforcement procedures unique to your area," says Folsom, CA-based real estate broker Beth Mergens.

"Problematic, mosquito-infested backyard pools do eventually get addressed by many cities where property owners (or the banks that own the property), can become eligible for citations for lack of pool maintenance," she says.  "Code enforcement can result in mosquito abatement entities to actually dump fish into the pools to eat the larvae, leaving the pool unharmed and the mosquito population in check."

In an attempt to avoid the problems with abandoned pools, some pools are simply drained, however.  "Ever heard of ‘pool popping?' asks Mergens.  "Pool popping happens when the pool sits empty and the ground literally pushes the pool out, ‘popping’ it due to lack of water weight."  Check with pool experts in your area to make sure the water table is high enough to keep your pool in tact if you wish to drain it. In many areas, it is safe to drain the pool during the dry season but it’s important to keep water in it during the winter months.

If you live in a neighborhood where abandoned homes are problematic , contact your  city code enforcement office for assistance. They will hopefully respond and investigate the matter, making sure that these homes are secure and that the property maintenance issues are addressed.  The ability to quickly and accurately identify the responsible parties for a property can be challenging, but a good code enforcement officer will try to monitor the property and will get compliance.