Developing a Vacant Property Strategy

A community with property vacancy levels that outstrip their available resources to fully remediate all their issues must develop a strategy to equitably, effectively and efficiently address vacant properties.

1. Be strategic. The key is to make the strategy systematic and strategic. One-shot code enforcement efforts that respond to complaints with a flurry of citations, or occasional “sweeps” that lack systematic follow-through, may lead to some temporary improvement, but are unlikely to lead to long-term, sustained change. Continuity, consistency and follow-up are essential. In addition, a strategy that is entirely focused on cracking down on problem properties and owners, and does not offer positive incentives for responsible landlords and property owners, is unlikely to be successful. It may drive some people out of business, but may also leave many properties still in bad shape and in the end, even lead to more, rather than less, abandonment.

2. Be realistic. Even with the most carefully thought-out strategy, many cities may never be able to eliminate vacant and problem properties. Underlying economic conditions, particularly in cities with poorly performing housing markets, will continue to exert pressure on owners to cut corners, or even walk away from many properties, until or unless those conditions change. While a successful strategy should motivate many owners to improve their properties, other owners have already given up on their properties, and – unless economic conditions improve – still others will do so in the coming years. Thus, at the same time as one is working with private property owners, it is important to build local government’s capacity to take and maintain problem properties, in order to come up with the best ways to ultimately restore them to productive use.

A community’s vacant property strategy should 1) deploy tactics to address current vacant properties, while 2) equitably rebuilding and revitalizing neighborhood markets.