governor’s housing conference restoring communities across maryland protecting communities from...
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Governor’s Housing ConferenceRestoring Communities Across Maryland
Protecting Communities from Vacant and Foreclosed Properties
October 16, 2012Jason Hessler
Assistant Commissioner of Litigation
Baltimore City Overview
Population: 620,000
Open violation Notices: 29,510
Vacant Building Notices: 16,106
Property Maintenance Inspectors: 87
Inspections completed in FY’12: 287,000
Work Orders Completed in FY ’12: 52,193
Building Code Enforcement Capacity:What tools are critical and how do you get there?
Enforcement• Administrative citations• Rely on executive authority wherever
possible and resort to judiciary only where necessary
• Trained Investigators• Dedicated code enforcement attorneys
Business processes that maximize productivity
• New tools and business processes have been programmed into code enforcement’s automated business systems.
• Within the first 12 months of launch, code enforcement will likely issue 1,000 citations for failing to abate a violation notice -effectively doubling enforcement capacity while at the same time reducing the wait time for results by more than 50%.
The Code EnforcementTimeline
Unoccupied vs. Vacant• Unoccupied not Vacant – Keep an eye on it.
– Issue violation notice at first signs of decline.– Require a registration.
• Vacant foreclosed home– Locate responsible party– Clean, Secure and Lien Property– Keep them on a short lease– Litigate if necessary
• Injunction vs. Receivership
Code Enforcement works by leveraging private resources, if resources are not there, code enforcement cannot successfully leverage an outcome.
•Property address
•Mail-to address
•Is the property registered?
•Has the owner pulled any permits?
•Do they own any other properties?
–Are any of these properties registered? If so, repeat analysis.
•Are the taxes paid?
•Are there additional names listed on the deed? If so, repeat analysis.
•Where is the water bill mailed?
•Have they filed for bankruptcy?
Create a checklist
Identify In-House Resources
Baltimore City Data Sources:
• Land Records (BITS)
• Property Registration
• Licensing
• Permits
• Prior Code Actions
• Investigator Files
• Tax payments
• Water bills
Foreclosure Registry Database
Free on the web• Google Search (Web sites), www.google.com• Phone book, www.superpages.com• Pipl, www.pipl.com• Facebook,, Myspace, linkedIn• SS Death Index, http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com , (No longer free)• FDIC (Banks), www.fdic.gov• National Information Center (Banking Institution Search),
http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/nichome.aspx• MD Register of Wills, http://registers.maryland.gov• Case Search, http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us (Judgment/Lien Search)• SDAT, http://www.dat.state.md.us/• MD Land Records, www.mdlandrec.net• National Registered agent link, http://www.registeredagentinfo.com/• Short Sale Lender site,
http://www.short-sale-specialists.com/community_reports.shtml• MERS, http://www.mersinc.org/• Federal Inmate search, http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp• State Inmate Search, http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/inmate
Other Resources
• Knock on doors and ask neighbors
• Motor Vehicle Records.
• Fee Based Internet Services, Accurint, CLEAR
– www.accurint.com
– www.west.thomson.com/westlaw
Jason Hessler, Assistant CommissionerBaltimore Housing
Permits and Code Enforcement Legal Section 417 E. Fayette St, Room 355
Baltimore, MD 21202410-396-4140