By Assemblyman Al Stirpe

In neighborhoods across Central New York, houses in foreclosure languish into disrepair, impacting neighborhood property values. These so-called “zombie” properties are eyesores that have become far too common — last year, the attorney general pegged the total number of abandoned homes in foreclosure at 16,700. As of 2015, there were approximately 80 zombie properties in Onondaga County, and 42 percent of foreclosed properties in Central New York were vacant.

Recently, I helped pass three bills in the Assembly to combat the proliferation of zombie houses. The Abandoned Property Relief Act of 2016 includes a series of measures to improve early detection and maintenance of vacant properties. These include expanding the duty of banks to maintain these homes to include pre-foreclosure vacant homes, requiring periodic inspections of foreclosed properties, allowing localities and the attorney general to enforce maintenance and creating a statewide registry of these homes and a toll-free hotline for residents to report vacant properties in their neighborhood (A.6932-A).

The legislative package also allows homeowners to challenge a foreclosure proceeding in court at any point in the process and clarifies the law regarding mandatory settlement conferences, which are vital in negotiating better outcomes for homeowners (A.247, A.1298).

Legislators and residents must work together to ensure banks and lenders uphold their responsibility to communities throughout the state. This is especially important in rural and suburban neighborhoods where banks have little financial incentive to settle costly foreclosure proceedings. I will continue fighting for Central New York families to preserve our vibrant communities and protect them from bank or lender neglect.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about this or any other community, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 452-1115 or [email protected].