Town addresses zombie houses

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The call has gone out across the south shore of Nassau County, “zombie homes” blight a neighborhood, attract squatters and vandals and can be home to animal pests, so something must be done to clean them up and maintain them. The Town of Hempstead is beefing up its local law to deal with the additional abandoned homes after Hurricane sandy. A “zombie home” is usually an abandoned home stuck in foreclosure. Until the bank completes the foreclosure, the house is the responsibility of the owner. After Sandy many owners left, and the unkempt houses stand with over grown yards, some have broken windows or doors. If the bank has taken ownership of the property, then it is the bank’s responsibility, but many banks don’t take care of the numerous properties they have.

Under a new proposal the town will be able to perform ongoing grass and weed trimming at “zombie homes” with less red tape that can delay ongoing property cleanups. The maintenance work would not cost taxpayers any money under the plan.

The existing law requires certified mail; return receipt requested notices to property owners and posting notifications at the site. These stringent requirements are time consuming [sometimes taking several weeks], and must be followed for each cleanup event [repeated offenses] at a neglected property. Waiting for return receipts and processing the information can delay the grass cutting every time a complaint is received. Weeks can pass before a lawn can be cut. The new proposal cuts through the red tape associated with certified or return receipt mail that results in weeks-long waiting periods before the grass and weeds can be trimmed. Under the legislation, recurring violations would result in a posted notice at the property, and there would be a mere five day waiting period before the “zombie home” could be cleaned up and the owner billed for the work.