Can neighbors in New Hampshire petition to get an unfit house fixed or torn down?
Yes, where the town has adopted a housing standards ordinance under state law. A petition from at least 10 residents charging that a dwelling is unfit for human habitation sets the process in motion.
If an early look backs up the charge, the town's housing agency must serve a complaint on the owner, every mortgage holder of record and anyone else with an interest. A hearing follows, at least 10 and no more than 30 days after the complaint is served, where the owner, mortgage holders and others with an interest can file an answer.
If repairs can't be made at a reasonable cost compared with the dwelling's value and the owner's means, the order requires the owner to remove or demolish it.
If the owner doesn't comply with the order, the agency can take the case to superior court. What the agency spends on a court-ordered repair or demolition becomes a lien on the property that the court can order foreclosed.
Court fines for housing code violations also become a lien on the property, which can be filed 45 days after the fine is entered.
How can a New Hampshire city or town force repairs or removal of a hazardous building?
The city council or selectmen can order the owner of a hazardous building to fix the hazard or to raze or remove the building. New Hampshire law treats a building as hazardous when poor upkeep, dilapidation, damage, unsanitary conditions or abandonment make it a fire hazard or a danger to public safety or health.
The written order must give the reasons, list any needed repairs and allow a reasonable time to comply. If the owner can't be found, the order is posted at the building's main entrance and published in a newspaper for four weeks.
Anyone served has 20 days to file an answer disputing the facts. If no answer is filed, the city or town can ask the court to enforce the order.
If the owner ignores the court's judgment, the city or town can do the repair or demolition itself, and the cost becomes a lien on the property. If the property isn't worth enough to cover the cost, the town can place a lien for the rest on other New Hampshire real estate the same owner holds.
What happens when property taxes go unpaid on a New Hampshire house?
In a town that has adopted the state's tax lien procedure, real estate taxes not paid in full by December 1 after they are assessed can lead to a tax lien. Two years after the tax lien is executed, the tax collector deeds the unredeemed property to the lienholder.
That tax lien comes ahead of all other liens on the property. Anyone with a legal interest in the property can redeem it any time before the deed is given, by paying the lien plus 14 percent yearly interest and costs.
The collector must notify the current owner by certified mail at least 30 days before deeding the property. Mortgage holders get their own certified-mail notice at least 30 days ahead, too.
Does a New Hampshire town keep everything when it sells a house taken for taxes?
No. When a town sells property it took by tax deed, it may keep only the back taxes, interest, costs and penalty. If the sale brings in more, the town must file a case in the county superior court naming the former owners and others with a recorded interest, and pay the extra into court.
The court then divides that money based on who held ownership and lien interests when the tax deed was issued.
At least 90 days before offering a tax-deeded property for sale, the town must notify the former owner by certified mail of the terms and the right to buy it back. A former owner then has 30 days to send notice by certified mail of intent to buy it back, or up to three years after the tax deed is recorded if no notice ever came. If the full amount isn't paid within 30 days of that notice, the town can go ahead with the sale.
The penalty the town may count includes an extra charge equal to 10 percent of the property's assessed value at the time of the tax deed. That extra charge doesn't apply to a buyback when the house is, or was at the time of the tax deed, the former owner's main home.
The town's duty to notify former owners and share the extra money, and the right to buy back, end three years after the tax deed is recorded.
How much warning does a New Hampshire owner get before a foreclosure sale?
For a residential mortgage, the notice of a foreclosure sale must reach the owner at least 45 days before the sale.
Notice of the sale must also run in a local newspaper once a week for three weeks in a row. The notice must tell the owner of the right to ask the superior court to stop the scheduled sale.
Until the foreclosure is complete, the owner can redeem the property by paying everything the mortgage secures plus damages and costs.
An owner of a vacant New Hampshire house with overdue mortgage payments can find a walk-through of New Hampshire foreclosure on avoidforeclosure.co.
Where do you report a neglected house in Concord, New Hampshire?
In Concord, the Housing Division answers complaints about any existing residential housing or premises under the city's housing maintenance code. Concord's Code Administration office is at 37 Green Street and takes calls at 603-225-8580, weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The office handles building, housing, licensing and health rules for the city.
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.