The Census Bureau regularly issues a vacant properties report which is generally covered by MND, and less extensive data on vacancies is kept by other government agencies – even the U.S. Post Office. However there is no solid agreement about what constitutes a vacant property nor is there any way to assess what may be a more or less benign vacancy such as a rental property merely languishing between tenants or a seldom-used seasonal property and one that can become a neighborhood blight, attract crime, and pose a threat to public safety.
While homeowners or mortgage owners–including the mortgage servicers that administer loans on behalf of loan owners–are responsible for maintaining vacant properties where mortgages are undergoing foreclosure, the costs local governments incur to mitigate any unsafe conditions can be significant.
According to the Census Bureau, non-seasonal vacant properties have increased 51 percent nationally from about 7 million in…
