“Combating Blighted Zombie Properties” will be the hot topic at the RCS CBA
monthly meeting on February 17 at
5:00 pm at Rail to River on 109 Main Street in Ravena.
Assistant Corporation Counsel Christopher Cech of the City of Albany will cover how his city and others have successfully strategized around a new law to reduce blight and how this can be applied to Ravena, Coeymans and Selkirk.
“So-called “zombie” properties arise when a homeowner vacates a property during the foreclosure process and prior to the transfer of ownership to the mortgagee (lender),” said Cech. “This often results in the vacant property falling into a state of disrepair as the foreclosure process drags on, which can lead to blight and/or otherwise unsafe conditions.”
New York’s recently enacted Zombie Property Law seeks to combat this by imposing a duty on mortgagees (or their servicing agent(s)) to inspect, maintain and secure zombie properties, and setting potential financial penalties for failing to do so.
Cech will also explain the basics of this law and relate how he and other cities have found success utilizing it in Albany. He will also review how partnering with neighboring municipalities for coordinated enforcement strengthens the effort. These strategies can be used as a tool by municipalities to combat potential and/or actual blight by ensuring that mortgagees are properly servicing and maintaining these properties.
A question and answer period will follow Cech’s talk.
Follow this link to register: https://rcscommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/8811354?hs=a