Empty house

Hi:
I'm wondering if anything can be done about an empty townhouse whose lawn is growing like crazy. It doesn't look like it will be occupied in the near future....I'm thinking it's a foreclosure. Does the HOA take care of the grass or does it just grow out of control?

 

It works just like any house here in the Broadlands. When the grass gets to a certain length the person on record of owning the house gets a violation notice with a certain amount of time to correct the problem. Sometimes when the banks take control they mow the property sometimes they choose to rack up the fines instead. After the property has gone through the process the HOA can and does send in HLS to do the mowing and fines the property owner for the cost.
Have you called the HOA office to let them know about the property? Sometimes it takes a while from the time the people vacate the house until it is actually forecolsed on so that may be part of the problem.

Staci

 

You or a neighbor could mow the lawn yourself to help out the community.

 

You are right, and we would, but we don't have a mower. We have a service who comes and mows our yard.

 

a service to mow your townhouse yard?

 

Yes, I have health issues and my husband works 12-16 hours a day, travels 2 - 3 weeks out of every month. Is that ok with you?

 

Easy now, I own a townhouse and I have more lawn area than some single family homes in Broadlands.

-Teak

 

And further, most townhomes have little in the way of storage to house lawn tools and some people just don't have the time or don't want to be bothered.

 

Hell, I would too, I hate lawn work. Did more than my fair share growing up.

 

napper--i think i know the yard you're speaking of. end unit...backs to village? it's a shame--b/c last year when they were living there in the spring--their yard looked great.

 

No, that's not the yard. I guess there's more than one, huh??

 

What about empty houses where the lawn is being mowed but the beds are turning into overgrown weedy messes?

 

Hey - I am going to mow this afternoon. Is it the house a couple doors down from you? If I don't run out of gas in the mower, I will come down and take care of it.

 

JLC--I know they still own the house and have a landscaping service to take care of it, so I would think it would be easy for them to direct the service to tend the beds, especially since they live close by??

 

I saw that the front was done...if that was you, thank you! You are so sweet!

 

There must be more than one. I just walked by the end unit backing to Village on Crosswind Terrace and it's still a forest of grass there. I'd mow it myself but I don't have an extension cord long enough for my mower, and that house doesn't have any electricity for me to mooch from (to their benefit, but eh.)
I've already picked up trash from that property and put away trash bins for them. But I guess by now "them" is the bank....

 

I read an article a while back about people trying to keep their neighborhoods nice in spite of the foreclosed and abandoned homes. Some communities formed groups that would mow the lawns of these properties. Others were concerned about the issue of trespassing and breaking the law. Technically you're breaking the law by entering someone's property without permission but I think that in these cases that should not be a crime! Who's going to press charges: the bank that has let it fall in disrepair??