Can neighbors ask a Connecticut court to appoint a receiver for an abandoned building?
Yes, in towns of 15,000 people or more. A resident or business owner less than 1,000 feet away is one of the parties who can petition the Superior Court for a receiver to take over and rehabilitate the building.
The building's owner and its lienholders and other secured creditors also count as parties in interest.
The court can appoint a receiver only if, among other things, the building had not been legally occupied for at least the twelve months before the petition was filed. The building also can't be in a pending foreclosure brought by a private person or company.
And the court has to find at least three problems from a list in the law; one is that the building is a public nuisance, blighted or unfit to live in under the local code. Leaving the building open to unauthorized entry without taking reasonable steps to secure it is one of the listed problems.
The most senior private lienholder gets first consideration as receiver; if it declines or isn't up to it, the court can pick a development organization or another qualified entity. Once appointed, the receiver takes possession of the property and can file a lien against it for the costs of the receivership.
Do lenders have to register foreclosed homes in Connecticut?
Yes. Whoever starts a foreclosure on a home has to register it with the town clerk when it records the notice of lis pendens.
Whoever ends up with title through the foreclosure must register with the town within 15 days after absolute title vests.
A foreclosing party that fails to register faces a civil penalty of $100 per violation, up to $5,000.
Who answers for the upkeep of a foreclosed house in Connecticut?
Whoever takes title through the foreclosure has to register, and the registration names the person or property maintenance company responsible for securing and maintaining the house.
If that registered owner breaks upkeep rules, including the rules on abating nuisances, the town can send it a notice citing the conditions that violate them. The notice sets a reasonable deadline, and if the conditions aren't fixed by then, the town can enforce its rights under state law or its own ordinances.
Towns can't pass upkeep rules aimed only at lenders or owners who got a property through foreclosure, though rules that apply to every owner still cover them.
Is there a faster foreclosure for vacant houses in Connecticut?
Yes. When nobody lives in the property, the lender can file for the foreclosure judgment at the same time as its motion for default, if it proves its case by clear and convincing evidence.
It has to show that nobody lives in the property and that at least three listed signs of abandonment exist, such as neighbors saying the house is vacant and abandoned. Other signs on the list include boarded-up or broken windows and entrances, and doors that are smashed, broken off or left without being locked.
The faster track isn't available for an empty building whose construction or renovation is moving diligently and follows the codes, or for a secured seasonal home.
Missed payments on a vacant Connecticut house? A step-by-step look at Connecticut foreclosure explains what tends to come next.
How can a Connecticut town make an owner clean up a blighted house?
Connecticut towns can adopt blight rules, but those rules must require written notice to the owner and a reasonable chance to fix the blight before the town enforces them.
A town can act right away on a third or later blight violation at the same property within twelve months.
Towns can also abate nuisances at the owner's expense.
A town with a blight ordinance can adopt a special assessment on blighted housing and can let its agents enter the property to fix blighted conditions, though not to go inside a house or other structure.
How long does an owner have to redeem a Connecticut house sold for unpaid taxes?
After a tax sale, the owner, mortgage holders and other lienholders have six months to pay and redeem the property, but only 60 days if it was abandoned or meets other conditions set by local ordinance.
If the purchase money and interest aren't paid within that redemption period, the tax collector's deed is recorded and takes full effect.
If a tax sale brings in more than is owed, the extra is held in a separate escrow account rather than kept by the town.
How do you report a blighted house in a Connecticut city like Bridgeport?
In Bridgeport, a blighted property can be reported through Bridgeport 311 or by calling the city at 203-576-7765.
The city asks people reporting blight to give as much detail as they can, including the location and what is wrong with the property.
You can also tell me where it is. I'll find out who owns it and reach out about buying it and fixing it up.