Location, Location, Location... Vacant homes are prime locations for vandals, marijuana cultivation, underage drinking, drug use, theft and even meth labs! But complaints to the city seem to go unheard. Actually, it's usually not the city that is the hold up. The bank that owns the home after the foreclosure is the cog in the wheel. Here in Jefferson County, Colorado... I just read an article about abandoned homes and what the counties are trying to do about it. As of now, the cities are the ones that have authority over banks to maintain the bank owned/foreclosed properties. I know a LOT of people at my neighborhood meetings ask how to get the vacant house next door cleaned up. Calls to the city sometimes work... but even their attempts to FORCE the banks to mow the lawn, pick up the trash, and secure the home so that vandals and criminal activity is avoided go to the bottom of the pile for the banks. They have so many properties to maintain, it just takes time. Jefferson County Sherriff Ted Mink is pursuing legislation similar to jurisdictions outside Colorado that requires banks and mortgage lenders to report the address of an abandoned home, maintain the property to neighborhood standards, and have an on-call, 24-hour property manager to respond to complaints and law enforcement problems. Here's the punch... Counties would have the authority to fine banks or lenders that fail to register abandoned properties. Maybe that would cause more urgency with the banks to maintain these homes! (or maybe they just roll it in to the "write off".) The downside... Any legislation would need to go before state legislators, and if approved, would not take effect until late 2010 or early 2011 at the earliest. It's a ugly situation!