How can we legally remove blight in the city?
If a home has been destroyed by a fire and has since remained in the same blighted condition for 2 years or more, what's the hold up in terms of tearing the shit down?
ps. I've been on Dyes for years and had to reset my user name and password, so I'm not a "newbie".
Cheers!
Re: How can we legally remove blight in the city?
- Figure out who owns the property. You can search for the owner of a particular property a number of ways. Each city or town has a tax assessor who evaluates the homes, businesses and land in the town, and determines the tax on each property. Every piece of real estate in a city or town is included in the “assessor rolls,” and you can use them to learn who owns a property. You also can learn the name of a property owner by viewing the deed to a particular piece of real estate or by reading the town’s voter list.[1] In Detroit, the Assessment rolls are open for public inspection during business hours in Room 804 of the City-County Building.
- - See if your neighborhood association can allocate funds or organize a charity drive. Money would be put toward the purchase of the property.
- - Have a real estate agent [[or DIY if you wish) contact the property owner and make them an offer on the house for $1,000 or less [[slum lords sometimes happen by accident. If the property is abandoned, then it was thrown away and forgotten, so the owner might be surprised, and more than happy to make $100-$1,000 that just came out of nowhere).
- - Before purchase, arrange a deal to donate the property to Blight Busters. They will either find someone to live in it, or demolish it [[or so I have been told).
If the owner is a "investor" and absent landlord, then additional steps will need to be taken. Remember, you DO have the power and tools to get it done. Let us [[DetroitYES! Community) know if you need any additional help.