Property Nuisance Abatements are used to help residents keep their neighborhoods clean and safe. From reporting a damaged traffic signal to exposing an accumulation of junk on a property, Nuisance Abatements are passed to keep things running smoothly. While most cities or counties will take care of some nuisances themselves, when it comes to private property they’ll issue a Nuisance Abatement notice. Often with a fine. The last thing you want is a fine for not mowing your lawn, so Don’t be a Nuisance: Learn the Basics of Property Nuisance Abatements:
1. What is an abatement?
An abatement is the reduction or elimination of something. Simple enough, right?
2. What qualifies as a Property Nuisance Abatement?
Obnoxious weeds – Is the property next to your house starting to look more like the Serengeti? Overgrown grass and weeds are considered a fire hazard or can choke out valuable crops. Often property owners will receive a notice to destroy all weeds and undesirable vegetation that pose a threat to the surrounding areas. So what constitutes undesirable vegetation? Basically weeds, tall grass, vines, brush or any non-purposefully planted trees.
Garbage on property – No one wants to live next to a junk yard. Any unsightly accumulation of junk or garbage on a residential property (including yard, driveway or alley) may find a removal notice taped to their door. So if you have a hard time letting go of that collection of toilets or old tires, do what the rest of us do and shove ‘em in your garage.
Neglected house or building – You know the type. Broken windows, holes in the roof, trash or debris on the side yard. To put it bluntly, it’s a neighborhood eyesore. No, your neighbor’s ugly paint choice doesn’t count. In most of these cases, a Nuisance Abatement notice will be issued with no response. Usually because the property owner is long gone. But have no fear, if a property goes unclaimed after a notice was issued, a receiver will be appointed to shine that scruffy turd and sell to a new owner.
Noise, drugs, or prostitution – That’s right. Sometimes the nuisance isn’t so much about the property itself, but what’s going on at the property that violates public peace. If you notice a house in your neighborhood peddling drugs or any other illegal activity, often a Nuisance Abatement notice is all it takes to stop the madness. While your go to may be to inform the police of your neighbor’s wicked ways, that’s often a temporary fix. Because Nuisance Abatements slap the property with fines, the price can often drive tenants out. A win for you and your community.
NOTE: Nuisance Abatement programs vary from city to city, county to county and state to state. Check out your city’s local government website to see which ones exist in your area.
3. The Rules.
If you receive a Nuisance Abatement notice and fail to remove the nuisance before the assigned deadline, the city, county or state will remove it for you. No, this isn’t out of the goodness of their heart. They’ll still bill you for the clean-up.
Don’t plan on paying the bill? No worries. The charges will just be assessed against your property.
4. Nuisance Abatements are your friend.
Unless you find yourself on the other side of a notice, Nuisance Abatements are actually quite useful. They keep your neighborhood looking nice and hold irresponsible property owners accountable.
Sometimes things can get serious. If a property near you threatens your health, safety, convenience or welfare of the community in general, a public nuisance lawsuit may be in order. Like we said: Property Nuisance Abatements are your friend.
And so is LandCentral. Because we’ve been selling land for more than 20 years, when it comes to property, we know what we’re talking about.