Batting-a-Thousand ... or 2 or 3

[IncognitoWench]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia
My question is regarding the condemnation of an historic house - not necessarily on the National Registry, but in the town's "historic district." It is our understanding that the house in question has not been lived in for about 12 or 14 years. The owners visit it every day to collect their mail and do odd jobs in and around the house, to include keeping the grass cut and the bushes trimmed. However, the porch is falling apart (rotten wood), the wood siding is coming off (so rotten won't hold paint), the windows have been left open for years allowing all types of weather, bugs, birds, and other animals to roam freely in-and-out (you should see the mold, and we have seen rats and a snake), and because of the thousands (literally!) of bats that live in the house, the amount of guano is astronomical and oozing out of the house through the slats of the siding. The smell is horrific - so bad that we cannot enjoy being out on our porch when the weather is nice. The court issued a final order in early May '09 for the owners to close it off with fencing and to rectify various issues to include some of what I mentioned above, but nothing has been accomplished other than to spread lime on the ground around the outside of the house. We live directly next door - what can we do about this? Anything? This has been going on for so many years and the town does not seem to want to take care of any of the issues because of the historic nature of the house, regardless of the fact that it is no longer habitable and bringing down property values, not to mention being a health and safety issue. Someone suggested that we not pay our taxes, and to see if other neighbors directed affected would refrain from doing the same - is this legal? Any advice/suggestions/legal help you can provide will be most appreciated.

[drewguy]

Non-payment of taxes is not a self-help remedy pretty much anywhere.

All you can do is keep up the pressure on the city to enforce various sanitation codes. Talk to the mayor, or councilpeople, or whoever. Send them some guano in a bag if necessary to prove your point.

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by IncognitoWench

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia
My question is regarding the condemnation of an historic house - not necessarily on the National Registry, but in the town's "historic district." It is our understanding that the house in question has not been lived in for about 12 or 14 years. The owners visit it every day to collect their mail and do odd jobs in and around the house, to include keeping the grass cut and the bushes trimmed. However, the porch is falling apart (rotten wood), the wood siding is coming off (so rotten won't hold paint), the windows have been left open for years allowing all types of weather, bugs, birds, and other animals to roam freely in-and-out (you should see the mold, and we have seen rats and a snake), and because of the thousands (literally!) of bats that live in the house, the amount of guano is astronomical and oozing out of the house through the slats of the siding. The smell is horrific - so bad that we cannot enjoy being out on our porch when the weather is nice. The court issued a final order in early May '09 for the owners to close it off with fencing and to rectify various issues to include some of what I mentioned above, but nothing has been accomplished other than to spread lime on the ground around the outside of the house. We live directly next door - what can we do about this? Anything? This has been going on for so many years and the town does not seem to want to take care of any of the issues because of the historic nature of the house, regardless of the fact that it is no longer habitable and bringing down property values, not to mention being a health and safety issue. Someone suggested that we not pay our taxes, and to see if other neighbors directed affected would refrain from doing the same - is this legal? Any advice/suggestions/legal help you can provide will be most appreciated.

**A: not paying taxes is not a good idea. Contact your local politicians and raise some hell.

[IncognitoWench]

Originally Posted by drewguy

Non-payment of taxes is not a self-help remedy pretty much anywhere.

All you can do is keep up the pressure on the city to enforce various sanitation codes. Talk to the mayor, or council people, or whoever. Send them some guano in a bag if necessary to prove your point.

Okay, so we pay the property taxes (which are due in July), because we don't want to make too big of a stink about this; we continue with the questions (weekly?); we attend town meetings and meetings of the Historical ("hysterical") Society to verbally state our concerns; and we send them some guano. Don't you think I should simply invite them all to dinner on the back porch, say, right around dusk when the live entertainment begins with the bats pouring out of the house like a fountain? They will certainly be able to enjoy the aroma of the guano, too, if it comes down to it. I don't like being in this situation, but health and safety are serious issues and need to be addressed. This elderly couple going in and out of that house every day, and the children who cut through their yard to get to the park behind the property, are all in jeopardy. Surely there is more that we can do besides sending them some guano? There are bats everywhere in the town, so they all probably have their own in their houses and the guano may not be that big of an issue for them. Someone (like a postal worker delivering mail) falling through the rotten wood on the porch, or a child getting bitten by a rat or a snake, might make them wake up and do something but by that time don't you think it is a little late? Seriously, something a little stronger for us to do that might be more effective more expeditiously would be better appreciated. Do petitions work? How about news articles? Should we file a formal complaint? And, if so, against the City or the Owners or both? Help! I'm going batty!

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by IncognitoWench

Okay, so we pay the property taxes (which are due in July), because we don't want to make too big of a stink about this; we continue with the questions (weekly?); we attend town meetings and meetings of the Historical ("hysterical") Society to verbally state our concerns; and we send them some guano. Don't you think I should simply invite them all to dinner on the back porch, say, right around dusk when the live entertainment begins with the bats pouring out of the house like a fountain? They will certainly be able to enjoy the aroma of the guano, too, if it comes down to it. I don't like being in this situation, but health and safety are serious issues and need to be addressed. This elderly couple going in and out of that house every day, and the children who cut through their yard to get to the park behind the property, are all in jeopardy. Surely there is more that we can do besides sending them some guano? There are bats everywhere in the town, so they all probably have their own in their houses and the guano may not be that big of an issue for them. Someone (like a postal worker delivering mail) falling through the rotten wood on the porch, or a child getting bitten by a rat or a snake, might make them wake up and do something but by that time don't you think it is a little late? Seriously, something a little stronger for us to do that might be more effective more expeditiously would be better appreciated. Do petitions work? How about news articles? Should we file a formal complaint? And, if so, against the City or the Owners or both? Help! I'm going batty!

**A: file complaints againt both. Hire an attorney if need be.

[drewguy]

If nothing else, get them to enforce the historic property laws. If they really want to preserve it, they would insist on some basic standard of maintenance, which apparently isn't being met.

[Choosymother]

I suggest that you call a town official and ask them if it's ok to kill rats with a .22 rifle within city limits. When they tell you no, ask what the penalties are because you can see them running off the house at dusk and they might be spreading the plaque.

Then, if the penalties aren't too harsh (and heck, it is Georgia, you can carry guns on public transport there) fire off some rounds at dusk and see if anybody shows up. The longer you could keep that up the better it would be, just a few rounds an evening. Believe me, people will start complaining. When the cops show up, don't answer the door.

As far as bats and the media is concerned, don't get your hopes up, they would find that infestation cute and amusing.

I would go for the dangerous/looney approach. If you can't use firearms, set off firework explosions at the rats. Make a pain in the ass of yourself....It's embarrassing, but could be fun too!

Good luck!

[libra58]

I don't know if it would help or not..but, have You reported this property to Your local Board of Health? The vermin infestation poses a Health risk...