How fast can a vacant Vermont house go through foreclosure?
Faster than an occupied one. In a foreclosure by judicial sale, if the property isn't farmland or a home the owner lives in as a main residence, the court must cut the redemption period to no more than 30 days or eliminate it.
For a home the owner lives in, or farmland, the redemption period is six months from the decree unless the court orders a shorter time. An owner-occupied home can't be sold within seven months of service of the foreclosure complaint, unless the court shortens the period or both sides agree.
A court can foreclose without any sale only if it finds there is no substantial value in the property beyond the debts and unpaid property taxes. In that kind of foreclosure, the redemption period is six months unless a shorter time is ordered, and the court weighs the condition of the property, among other things, in setting it.
If the owner and lender agree, the loan can be reinstated or modified after the redemption period ends but before the public sale.
Behind on the mortgage for a Vermont house that's sitting empty? Read how foreclosure works in Vermont.
Can a Vermont town secure an empty house when the property taxes go unpaid?
Once the warrant and levy are recorded, the town can secure the property against illegal activity and fire hazards after giving the mortgage holder at least 10 days' written notice. A town's tax collector can start a tax sale when an owner owes at least $1,500 and the taxes have been delinquent for more than a year.
Before any tax sale, the town must offer the owner a written, reasonable repayment plan. If certified-mail notice of the sale comes back unclaimed, notice must also be posted on the front door of a property that has a structure.
The owner, a lienholder or the mortgage holder can redeem within one year of the sale by paying the sale price plus interest of one percent a month. The tax collector must send the owner a warning notice between 90 and 120 days before the redemption period ends.
If no bid covers the tax and costs, the city or town itself can buy the property at the tax sale. If the land isn't redeemed in time, the collector gives the buyer a deed.
How can a Vermont town make an owner fix or tear down an unsafe building?
When a town's building inspector learns a structure is unsafe, the inspector must inspect it and notify the owner in writing to remove it or make it safe and secure. The owner must start securing or removing the structure by noon the next day.
If the owner refuses or neglects the order, a board that includes the fire chief surveys the building and serves a written report on the owner. If the report finds the structure unsafe and the owner still refuses, the inspector has it taken down or made safe. The costs become a lien on the land, collected the way property taxes are.
Vermont towns can compel the cleaning or repair of premises the local legislative body judges dangerous to public health or safety. They can also define what a public nuisance is and act to abate or remove it. A town's selectboard, or a village's trustees, can ask the Superior Court for an injunction to abate a public nuisance.
Under a local housing code, a dwelling found unfit because of a serious hazard can be ordered vacated and secured until it is fit again, or sent into demolition proceedings. Where a local housing code says so, the owner of a dwelling declared unfit can't sell, mortgage or lease it without first giving the other party a copy of the order and notifying the enforcing officer in writing.
How does Burlington, Vermont track and take reports on vacant buildings?
Burlington says it notifies owners of vacant buildings about the vacant building rules every quarter, and keeps a property on its noncompliant list until the owner deals with the issues. The city publishes a top-ten list of noncompliant vacant properties and asks people with concerns about one to call 802-863-0442.
A city task force representing more than ten departments works to find vacant or underused properties and bring them into compliance or back into use.
Burlington's Housing Division points people to SeeClickFix to report trash, illegal dumping or other exterior problems at a 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.
Is there Vermont money to fix up vacant rental units?
Vermont's Housing Improvement Program offers forgivable loans of five or ten years to rehabilitate existing vacant units.
The program funds rehabs and conversions of existing buildings, plus limited new construction, to create affordable rental housing, and owners apply through their local Homeownership Center.