House Bill 3639 targets the problems of neglected foreclosed properties
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Representative Tina Kotek’s (D-N/NE Portland) neighbors live next to an eyesore. A property near her North Portland home has been in foreclosure for two years, during which time the lawn has been mowed just once. There’s a pile of old phone books decaying on the front porch. Last spring, the Portland Police Department had to break in when a water pipe broke.
“It’s not pretty,” said Representative Kotek. “In fact, it’s really unpleasant. But, aesthetics are less of a concern than the risks it brings to our neighborhood.”
In response, Representative Kotek is working with Representative Lew Frederick (D- Portland) to sponsor the Good Neighbor Act, a bill aimed at addressing the public nuisance created by neglected foreclosed properties. House Bill 3639 prohibits owners of foreclosed residential real property from neglecting their vacant property to the point of serious disrepair. The House Committee on Rules held a first public hearing on the bill today.
“These are homes that used to have families, active and contributing members of our community,” said Chris Duffy, the chair of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association in North Portland. “Now that they’re vacant and neglected, these properties provide the perfect conditions for dangerous activity and the kind of people you wouldn’t want around your kids.”
Neglected properties are a growing problem throughout Oregon, where the rate of foreclosure filings ranked 15th in the nation during the first quarter of 2011. There are more than 22,000 foreclosed properties throughout the state. Some vacant foreclosed properties simply fall into disrepair, while others pose threats to public health and safety with stagnant water, broken sewage pipes, and squatters. Often, vacant properties become easy targets as locations for graffiti, drug use, and other criminal activity.
“This is a real problem in our communities,” said Representative Frederick. “The burst housing bubble and the recession left in its wake a high number of foreclosed properties, and now, many months later, those foreclosed properties are overgrown, run down, and frequently inhabited by squatters or used as centers for crime.”The bill would allow local governments to levy fines against the owner of neglected foreclosed properties if conditions of neglect that cause a public nuisance are left without remedy. In addition, the owner would be required to provide contact information to the local government or neighborhood association and in a durable posting on the property.
“In many cases, neighbors and even the local government or law enforcement can’t contact the person responsible for a neglected foreclosed property because there’s no way to find out who owns it,” said Representative Kotek. “There’s definitely a problem when the police can’t even issue a trespass notice because there is no record of who is responsible.”
House Bill 3639 must now be scheduled for a work session in the House Committee on Rules. A similar bill passed the House in the 2010 February session, but was never scheduled for a vote in the Senate.
For more information, contact MaryAnn Almeida at 503-986-1444.
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