Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Next round of foreclosures coming
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    The city will soon take over 200 properties through tax foreclosure, but it is unlikely to do much with the houses until next spring.
    More than 200 properties could not be foreclosed upon last month because city officials couldn’t locate the owners. So they posted the properties, which requires a longer waiting period.
    Next month, that period will be over — and if none of the owners contest it, the city will be given all the properties. But with winter on the way, what will it do with them all?
    Corporation Counsel John Polster said the city will offer monthto-month rental agreements to those living in the houses. In some cases, landlords have rented the buildings while not paying taxes. In other cases, owners are living there but did not pay their tax bills for years.
    The properties will be inspected and categorized for immediate sale, demolition or renovation. Those living in a house that must be demolished will have to leave at once. They will also have to leave if the house is sold.
    But most of the rest can stay — for now.
    “If there are no life-safety issues that would cause us to issue a vacate order, we would consider a rental agreement that would allow them to continue,” Polster said.
    Contractors will bid on the houses they want to renovate and share any profit with the city after the house is sold. But there are already 50 houses in the renovations category and only about a dozen contractors approved to do the work.
    Even if contractors renovate 10 houses a month, the new batch of foreclosures won’t be touched until spring.
    So occupants may get to stay in their houses for many months — possibly until next summer, Polster said.
    “Once we know when and what we’re going to do with the property, we will ask people to leave,” he said.
    “It doesn’t make sense to kick people out now.”
    Polster is also negotiating again with American Tax Funding over 200 other properties the city wants to take through foreclosure. ATF is also owed tax money from those properties’ owners, from when the city sold tax liens to ATF and let that agency try to collect. The owners haven’t paid ATF or the city, so both groups have standing to foreclose. ....................................>>>>..........................>>>>.......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01402&AppName=1

Really? And who does the repairs on these homes people are 'renting' from the City?

If the hot water heater breaks down, does the City come in and repair it for their 'tenants'?

What happens if a tenant in one of these City-takeovers has a pit bull and it injures someone on the property? Has the City taken over liability for slip and falls this winter on these properties?

This is probably the most poorly thought out idea by the City...ever!

Quoted from rachel72

Really? And who does the repairs on these homes people are 'renting' from the City?

If the hot water heater breaks down, does the City come in and repair it for their 'tenants'?

What happens if a tenant in one of these City-takeovers has a pit bull and it injures someone on the property? Has the City taken over liability for slip and falls this winter on these properties?

This is probably the most poorly thought out idea by the City...ever!

Yup.  Anyone know of any cases wherle a city did this before?  Will they need to insure these properties?  You know, seeing how we are uninsurable now.  This is going to be interesting to watch.  I wouldnt want to be working in the citys legal department.  Whats the over under on how long before the whole city legal depatment quits?

Does the city realize they have only 24 hrs after a snowstorm to have all the walks cleared?? I can't see contractors sticking with this, they'll go belly-up. Renovate ten houses a month?? What is that, slapping a fresh coat of white paint on everything?

special rules for special friends

Did they start working on the FIRST ROUND of foreclosures?

Quoted from TakingItBack

Yup.  Anyone know of any cases wherle a city did this before?  Will they need to insure these properties?  You know, seeing how we are uninsurable now.  This is going to be interesting to watch.  I wouldnt want to be working in the citys legal department.  Whats the over under on how long before the whole city legal depatment quits?

And they better mandate that all tenants have renters' insurance, not for dog issues necessarily but because of the legal cost of renters who take the city to court for any reason, even when it's something that the owner's "homeowner" insurance doesn't cover.

We all know the tenants don't have the financial ability to pay legal costs when they lose.

The city is now going to be the largest slum lords in the state!!!

Are they going to hire someone to collect and sort through 200 rent checks? Are they going to evict people who don't pay? Who are the tenants going to call when something does go wrong? Have they thought any of this through?

Quoted from bumblethru

The city is now going to be the largest slum lords in the state!!!

Absolutely!

There is no way the City can budget to keep 200 renters in foreclosed properties...it's economically unfeasible.

The City would have to pay insurance on these homes as TakingItBack stated, they would have to repair furnaces in the winter months (former Mayor Jurczynski pointed out on Paul V's show) and the pit bull regulations for tenants insurance. Who's collecting the rents? Is the City going to pay to evict non-paying tenants?

The City can't find their way out of a $5 million hole....and now they're digging deeper into debt with this horrible, horrible plan.

Quoted from rachel72

Absolutely!

There is no way the City can budget to keep 200 renters in foreclosed properties...it's economically unfeasible.

The City would have to pay insurance on these homes as TakingItBack stated, they would have to repair furnaces in the winter months (former Mayor Jurczynski pointed out on Paul V's show) and the pit bull regulations for tenants insurance. Who's collecting the rents? Is the City going to pay to evict non-paying tenants?

The City can't find their way out of a $5 million hole....and now they're digging deeper into debt with this horrible, horrible plan.

Rachel72, couldn't agree more. Sadly, we'll probably have to wait for the debt to increase three fold before someone steps in to stop the madness. Sad.

Maybe NOW the administration will understand what being a homeowner in the city REALLY means.  Or they'll just create legislation to exempt themselves from everything they don't wanna do (snow shoveling, insurance, etc)  And since the REAL costs of this won't be felt until the end of 2013 or early 2014, they'll be able to blame the new administration! How convenient!

Quoted from 1975

Maybe NOW the administration will understand what being a homeowner in the city REALLY means.  Or they'll just create legislation to exempt themselves from everything they don't wanna do (snow shoveling, insurance, etc)  And since the REAL costs of this won't be felt until the end of 2013 or early 2014, they'll be able to blame the new administration! How convenient!

AWESOME observation!

Wouldn't it be sweet if the City had to pay the taxes on these homes they're taking over?

We, as good neighbors, need to be SURE they get the FULL city living/ownership experience.  Hold them to the law - tenants, dogs, insurance, upkeep - right down to the size of the numbers on the house!  Be sure every roof shingle is in tact, and if not, report them to the code enforcement office.  Be sure every window that's broken is boarded up, or fixed iwthin a reasonable time (48-72 hours according to the city).  Make sure the grass is cut, snow is shovelled, and rock salt put out so no one trips over their broken sidewalks.

We ALL need to hold them to the task they have chosen for themselves.  And IF they make themselves exempt from the regulation, WE have a right to be exempt also!

Quoted from rachel72

Wouldn't it be sweet if the City had to pay the taxes on these homes they're taking over?

I'd be happy if they were just able to pay the School what they owe them.  But yes - you're right!