Vacant and Abandoned Property

Steps Needed to Deal with Abandoned Properties

Vacant and abandoned properties are more than eyesores. They often become public nuisances, threats to public safety, and dumping grounds for trash and debris. They drain public resources, and they diminish the value of neighboring homes and businesses.

The recent enactment of land bank legislation, House Bill 313, is promising news in the fight to combat the dire effects of foreclosure and abandonment. This new law grants certain counties in Ohio, including Montgomery County, authority to form land banks, entities empowered to take control of vacant and abandoned properties with the goal of returning them to productive use. I support efforts to create a county-wide land bank and expect it to be an effective tool.

Expedited foreclosure is another tool available to improve neighborhoods hit by high foreclosure rates. Expedited foreclosure dramatically cuts the length of time it takes for communities to acquire abandoned, tax delinquent property. Communities, through the county board of revision, may acquire abandoned, tax delinquent properties in as a little as four months, shortening a foreclosure process that used to take about two years. Shortening the foreclosure process on delinquent, abandoned properties can relieve an overburdened court system and hasten the rehab of abandoned properties, returning them to productive use much faster and eliminating neighborhood eyesores. I recently led the effort to establish this process in Montgomery County.

One of the keys to developing successful, long-term strategies to deal with problem properties is better information. A comprehensive, county-wide neighborhood information system should be developed to provide timely and meaningful information regarding neighborhood trends and conditions. A system that effectively tracks neighborhood-level data on sales, property values, population trends, delinquencies, foreclosures, vacancies, housing code violations, crime statistics and more would be a powerful resource. In the hands of decision makers and community planners, this system would aid in developing new programs and directing other resources both to deal with problem properties now and to prevent further decay.

Additionally, steps are urgently needed to revitalize the housing market in older neighborhoods where blight is most prevalent. Weak market demand in these areas contributes significantly to the abandonment of property. With input from critical stakeholders -- realtors, home builders, developers, planners, preservation advocates and neighborhood organizations -- appropriate incentives should be crafted and assistance provided to revive these markets.

Creating a county-wide land bank, implementing expedited foreclosure, developing an integrated neighborhood information system, and taking proactive steps to revitalize the real estate market in older neighborhoods are important measures to be pursued as part of a comprehensive approach to the problem of abandoned property.