Vacancy Persists: But it Looks Different, and the Rules Have Changed

A two-story yellow craftsman-style home with a red staircase and wraparound porch, partially obscured by mature trees -- next to a deteriorated home with crumbling steps.

Vacant properties remain a significant source of harm to neighborhoods, despite headlines on the housing shortage and booming residential markets.Yet over the past five years, the forces shaping local efforts to address vacancy—including real estate markets, court rulings, and public funding—have shifted dramatically. To continue working effectively, it is critical for communities to understand what’s…

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Building Coalitions for State Legislative Reforms

Downtown St. Louis skyline featuring the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse with its green dome, a bronze statue, and a public fountain in the foreground surrounded by green trees on a sunny day.

Watch the recording here » State laws play a critical role in local governments’ ability to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. Outdated delinquent property tax enforcement systems and limited code enforcement authority can hamper local governments’ ability to hold owners accountable or get problem property in the hands of more responsible owners. Changing…

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