Is this really bad of me? (Long)

L Sass

L Sass

Cathlete
I won't go into all of the tortured details about the "cursed" house next door to me. It's been vacant for the last 4 years and the owner is a furrier the next community over. He couldn't care less about this house. I've maintained the yard for the last two summers (gotten his permission to do so, and he did pay me the first summer). I've also told him that I keep an eye on the house for him. This is more for my own peace of mind in that I want to ensure the safety and well being of my family. He hasn't asked me to do this, but he doesn't mind that I walk the property once a week.

For the last 2 winters, the pipes have burst and I've called the fire department. They've come, broken in, turned off the water, shut off the electricity, etc. I've always called the owner as well. The first year it flooded he took a rather active interest and had it cleaned up and kind of repaired. It still needs A LOT of work.

Last year when the pipes burst he did almost nothing, though he did have someone "fix them". He also put up new drywall - over the now heavily molded studs. Soooooo -- last week it was about 2 degrees here for a few days. He left the windows in the house opened and I could not get in to close them (at least he locked it). We had a nice little thaw this last weekend where temps climbed into the 50s. You know it -- DH came in on Sunday afternoon and said "they burst". Huh? The pipes - 3rd year in a row. I can hear the water running in the garage, basement, and kitchen. I have NOT called the fire dept this time, and I have not yet called the owner. I can see into the kitchen where the ceramic tiles are now "floating" and have lifted off of the ply wood. The ceiling tiles in the basement are on the sopping wet floor. There is about an inch of water on the basement floor. Water is running down the walls in the kitchen area behind the drywall. We are on water wells, so eventually his pump will either fry from the constant pull or his well will run dry.

I'm just tired of being the babysitter for a house that will never move, with an owner who couldn't care less about it. Soooo -- am I really bad for not calling him again this time? (No - my local govt cannot do anything about it as we live in a township that has minimal authority over this kind of situation.) Would you call him?

Lorrie

www.picturetrail.com/lsass



 
Maybe this is harsh, but..........

Good job Lorrie!
If he seemed to actually appreciate your efforts it would be one thing but it sounds like he's pretty lax about it.
I say keep quiet and let him learn his lesson!
 
Lorrie:

It is not your responsibility to care for or about this man's property. He shows little sense of responsibility for it himself. You did your bit and got little thanks for it. If he chooses to pay you to fulfill a caretaking role, then by all means worry about it. But really....I would take action if and when his carelessness leaves the house in such a state that it threatens the wellbeing of yourself or your family in some way. If this situation should arise, I would report all incidents to the police directly. They can inform him of his duties and fine him if necessary for neglect and causing damage/harm to you and yours.

Clare
 
Lorrie-

Don't call. Don't do a thing. The more you do, the more likely you will be expected to do it repeatedly, over time! Save yourself, LOL.

:)
 
My concern would be the well. Although his well is seperate from others in the neighborhood, his water probably comes from the same water table as everyone elses. Thus if his well's water level drops, so does eveyone elses.

Jean
 
This is a tough one. My first instinct would be to let it go but I have been trying to get Karma on my side recently, so I would probably pick up the phone and make the call.

You know it could be worse. You could have neighbors over there that you hate or even worse yet could be drug dealers. It's just a phone call so it wouldn't be too much trouble to call and just say "hey, I think you might want to take a look." If he decides to do nothing, then at least you have a clear conscience. It's obviously bothering you or you wouldn't have posted. Go ahead, do the "right" thing and make the call.

Angie
 
Is there some kind of "upkeep" law or community forum/local government thing that protects people from living next to a house that falls into disrepair and becomes a health hazard?

Susan L.G.

P.S. I agree with the well/water table theory too. You don't want your water supply compromised by this inconsiderate person.
 
You know what MY immediate thought was? He obviously doesn't care about personal things, and the fact he had new drywall put over moldy studs had me worried about anyone that might by the house not knowing how dishonest the owner is. It also makes me think this guy may be WANTING the house to be a total loss so he can collect on insurance or something. You never know anymore.

I don't think you're wrong for not calling him. His property is not your responsibility. Matter of fact, I would have told him the last time "I'm not calling you anymore" because it's his place, he should be checking it every week. Honestly - you'd probably be more interested in helping him out if you thought he cared about the property, but because he doesn't seem to care, he's relying on you for stuff that he shouldn't be.

As for the yard, you may be able to call someone to make him take care of the property, if you're in "city limits". We had to do that to a property across the street from us because the house had been a rental and has been empty for years...it ended up going for taxes and HUD took it over - still empty (probably 8 years now) and the grass would get so high that we had a bunch of copperheads out one year!!!! We called the state and they had to come out and cut the grass.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
It's too bad that your town won't do something. I can't believe that they won't! In our city, they'd condemn it. Nothing like having a condemned sign posted on a house (and the fines that come with it) to get an absentee homeowner to do something. Is there nothing that the township would do?
 
Lorrie, I wouldn't have called either. That house isn't your responsibility, and that guy obviously doesn't care about it. So I'd let it go. It's his problem, not yours.
 
I would call. & simply state that next time there will be a fee for services. Most people have to contract for others to "house sit" and the like. It's HIS property but if there is even an OUTSIDE chance it could hurt you - well? - then, just make the call.

Tough one!
 
OK - so the water table issue has me a bit concerned. I stopped at the fire dept --- kicking myself every step of the way, and told them about it. They said it will definitely affect the aquifer. They came and looked and listened, but since it's locked and NOT posing any immediate public safety concern (there is for example, no water draining out onto the road and freezing for drivers to slide. etc) they said "ummm no". They will contact the electric co and see if they are interested in pulling the elec meter. In that case, the water pump will stop pulling the water. Then, this house will sit there - sopping wet, and basically freeze for the balance of the winter. Oh my.

Lorrie

www.picturetrail.com/lsass



 
Ugh...what a mess.

I don't know how close his house is to yours or your property, but I'd be pretty concerned about potential health hazards that could impact you/yours.

Effects to the water table would definitely concern me, too. Not to mention that his basement sounds like it'll be a terrific mosquito breeding ground come spring...not to mention the mold...ewwww.

I'm not a litigious person by nature, but if you do decide to call him, I'd throw a few tidbits his way about how if anything starts to badly effect your property in any way, that damages will be sought.
 
I would call him only to tell him you are not babysitting, mowing, or doing anything else with his house anymore. He didn't ask you to "help" with this dump, so end your days as a voluteer caretaker.
 
Oh man. I'm renovating/living in a house in a very bad neighborhood because, in my city, all the old neighborhoods (my house was built in 1910) EVENTUALLY come up (After 8 years, it's finally STARTING to happen). It's the kind of neighborhood where the houses are only separated by a few yards but the one's that haven't been destroyed by scavengers (and idiotic "remodeling" attempts) have tremendous character (stained glass windows, hard wood floors, victorian bathtubs, etc.). Nonetheless, since moving here I've called authorities for everything: A couple of guys raising pit pulls for fighting, drug dealers, b&e's, car thieves, a guy slamming his wife face-first into the glass of the drivers-side door of his jeep... I have learned to always use pre-paid wireless, non-traceable cell phones when making these reports to avoid being subpoenaed later and being put in a very dangerous position (I'm single, live alone, and work CRAZY hours --- and come home to a bad neighborhood). Even though most of the real problem children have finally gotten the hint and moved away, the neighborhood is & has always been full of empty houses. I came home last night to see the front door to one nearby house WIDE OPEN and I have to call the realtor (sign in the yard) to tell them their little lockbox (on the door knob) isn't cutting it. There's a lot of buzz about these properties now because we have a mayor who's obsessed with cleaning up the inner-city neighborhoods so I'm hoping a change is coming. Meanwhile, I just keep calling. It must work. With the dogfighters, I left a message on the Humane Society's machine. Next day, the dogs were gone. Two days later the tenants were gone. The Wifebeater was related to the disgusting pig who lived across the street from me (he'd spit on his porch whenever he'd see me going to work... and he OWNED His house...) and they were both related to a loud, foul-mouthed wench (with a boatload of half-clothed kids, of course) down the street. A few years ago we had a real bad-weather Xmas and my brother and his family had to stay with me, due to a power outage in their neighborhood (power outages were happening all over the city). I heard them talking in the middle of the night and went to check. The foul-mouthed woman's house was on fire (nobody hurt). While my brother and his wife were hoping everyone got out alive all I could think was "One down, Two to go... (and you think you're bad?). Several month's later I was looking out my upstairs kitchen windows (I have two kitchens because my house had been broken up into two apartments) into the Wifebeater's back yard, not thinking. Then it dawned on me I hadn't seen Those People in weeks and all the dead cars that used to fill up his back yard were gone (Two Down, One to Go). I had no prayer that nasty creature who lived across the street (along with his one-suicide-attempt-every-week common-law wife and their huge brood) would ever move. But, about a year after The Wifebeater left I saw a truck in their yard as I was preparing for work. I watched just long enough to see that they were LOADING, not UNloading, the truck. I cried tears of joy in the shower. With those 3 families gone things are on the upswing but I've learned it's up to those of us who work and pay taxes to raise heck until the losers get the hint and go somewhere else. But slumlords are tough. They were raised on those stupid make-money-buying-and-renting-property infomercials and they have a bad habit of buying more than they know how to fix, then just abandoning the properties. The city is trying to change the laws so they can confiscate the abandoned houses but, in the meantime, all we can do is keep raising heck and making it tough for the troublemakers and slumlords. I work about 60-70 hours a week and it's like a second job - but it's worth it. When I bought my house I just assumed the neighborhood would improve as people like me moved in and cleaned up the properties. Trouble is, the losers (mostly renters, but not always) don't just move -they have to be pushed out. Not only for the overall improvement of the neighborhood but for your own protection. People who don't work and who spend their days drinking beer, getting high, and watching the properties of the people who do work for a living are a very real threat.

You have to take action or things get worse. Your guy is a slumlord and the property needs to be taken away from him. You need to stop dealing with him at all (he doesn't care) and start reporting his butt to your local authorities. You need to be a pro-active PEST because everything he doesn't do impacts your property value, your safety, and your peace of mind. You know, I hadn't realized how much having those crazy people across the street affected me until they were gone. It was like a 200-lb weight off my back.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and ideas. No, my township cannot do anything about this situation. Yard, flood, bugs, etc. it's all a private situation. Last year I called the health dept when DH and I watched about 200+ bats fly out of the chimney and swarm around for food. They were actually very cool to watch, and after about 45 minutes of flying around munching on what must have been a new hatch of insects, they disappeared back into the chimney (no chimney caps). Health dept even said no go - that's a private situation.

Calling and telling this guy anything or threatening him with legal action is worthless. He doesn't pay his mortgage, any of the utilities, etc. so me threatening him with any kind of litigation will not bother him one bit. As I said he is a furrier. He runs a very high end fur shop but is a terrific con man. He's very nice to talk do, but as DH said, if you're not nice then you're not a good con man. To be effective at the con, you have to have people like you. Even if I were to sue hime and get a judgment, it would be for money, and I know I would never collect. All I can hope at this point is that the house goes into foreclosure sooner rather than later. If and when that happens and it goes up for sheriff's sale it probably will not bring the 20% outstanding mortgage that is required by law to be the starting bid. If and when it does not sell there, I can contact the bank and make an offer. I figure I'll ask them to give me the land and I'll assume demolition costs of this mess.

I did call and leave word for the owner, and I actually called my friends at the building dept. They came and disconnected the water well head - so the water is no longer running. That's something I guess. Thanks again.

Lorrie

www.picturetrail.com/lsass



 
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