The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that all commercial landowners — including owners of vacant commercial lots — have a duty to maintain the public sidewalks abutting their property in reasonably good condition and are liable to pedestrians injured …
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has published a video of a man considered to be a “person of interest” in a vacant rowhouse fire that killed three Baltimore firefighters last month. The Baltimore Sun reports that …
Owners of vacant properties in Parkersburg, W. Va., soon will have to register the structures with the city. City officials are implementing a new registry for vacant properties. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports that owners will have to register …
A company says a report that Kansas has one of the highest rates of vacant foreclosures in the country reflects the small number of foreclosures in the state, not problems in the housing market. RealtyTrac says Kansas has the third-highest …
Florence is taking steps to deal with abandoned and run-down buildings and revitalize neighborhoods by starting a city livability court. The Morning News reported that the court approved by the City Council last week will have two judges to hear …
With thousands of properties caught in a three-year legal holding pattern, Baton Rouge, La., and other officials across the state want the New Orleans treatment on dealing with blight. New Orleans already secured a state constitutional amendment speeding up the …
A national survey found 301,874 “zombie” properties dotting the U.S. landscape in which homeowners in foreclosure have moved out, leaving vacant property susceptible to vandalism and degradation. Florida tops the list of zombie properties with 90,556 vacant homes in foreclosure, …
A published report says Detroit, Mich., has $20 million intended to demolish burned-out dwellings that’s sitting unused. The Detroit Free Press reports that the money is part of the Fire Insurance Escrow Fund. It was created by a law requiring …
The city of Alexandria, La., can’t keep up with the demand for destroying dilapidated structures in the city. During the 20-month span from May 2010 to December 2011, City Attorney Chuck Johnson told the city council that 50 homes were …
More than 6,000 properties are sitting vacant in Arkansas because the owners are delinquent in paying their taxes. Little Rock television station KTHV reports that state Land Commissioner John Thurston says he wants to get those properties back on the …
