In Detroit, a new program sues absentee landlords to force them to renovate their property -- unlike citations, property owners face the threat of losing their property, which can then be put up for auction on a county website.
"Over the past year, Wayne County has begun...a revamped program that relies on the threat of seizure to bring problem property owners into compliance. Of the approximately 1,000 landlords the county filed lawsuits against this year, about 80 percent either renovated, demolished or sold their properties...The noncompliant properties quickly pass from the courtroom to the Internet. Under the agreement signed by the owner, if problems aren't corrected the county has authority to seize the properties and put them up for auction on its web site."
FULL STORY: Abate and switch
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