Moorestown Finalizing List Of Abandoned Properties

MOORESTOWN, NJ — More than three years after Moorestown was initially granted more power over how to handle abandoned homes and vacant properties, the township is set to publish a list of abandoned properties.

In 2015, Moorestown Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to bestow greater power on the township when it comes to dealing with abandoned and vacant properties.

The ordinance defines a vacant home as any building used or to be used as a residence which is not legally occupied, construction has stopped or it can't be reoccupied without rehabilitation.

Once a property is deemed to be vacant, the property owner then has 30 days from the time a property is declared vacant, 30 days from the time they assume ownership of the vacant property or 10 days following a receipt of notice from Moorestown to file a registration with the Township Clerk. After that, the home becomes abandoned.

It defines an abandoned home as one that has not been legally occupied for six months and: is need of rehabilitation; construction was initiated and discontinued for at least six months; at least one tax payment is delinquent or the property has been deemed a “nuisance.” A property will be deemed a nuisance when the township receives a complaint and the facts back up the complaint. The complaint can come from anyone.

Read more here: Moorestown Granted Greater Power Over Abandoned Homes And Vacant Properties

The process for establishing the abandoned properties list has been a meticulous one, and still has one more step before it can be published, officials said during the workshop portion of Monday night’s council meeting.
Staff must revisit each property to ensure they are still vacant, but Township Manager Thomas Neff said he doesn’t expect that process to take long.

The list will be published in the newspaper, and the township will let the owners know their property is on the list by registered mail and regular mail. It appears as though there will be 50 properties from throughout the township on the list initially.

Homeowners will have the opportunity to appeal their spot on the list, and they will have legal recourse to do so. Therefore, Neff emphasized it is important that the township be completely sure each property belongs on the list, which has resulted in the long, meticulous process.

Neff said that the hope is that the property owners will be motivated to maintain the property once it appears on the list.

“Studies show that when a property is placed on this kind of list, 90 percent of people are motivated to do something,” Deputy Mayor Manny Delgado said.

But Councilman Mike Locatell made it a point to say that this process isn’t intended to shame people who are struggling financially.

“Most of these properties are bank owned and for some others, the homeowner has actually walked away,” Locatell said. “These aren’t homes owned by people who are just struggling; these homes have truly been abandoned.”

Once established, the list will be fluid, with properties being added and a path to having a property removed. It will be a fluid list, rather than an annual one. It will also note why each house has been placed on the list.

The attached image of a vacant home was previously provided by former Moorestown Councilman Greg Newcomer.