Neighborhood blight ignored

There’s a plague invading our neighborhoods: foreclosed and vacant homes that are not being maintained. I have no idea how many there are, but I imagine hundreds in our city.

A house near our property has been empty for four years. The yard is overgrown and it is a derelict property. A pine tree broke and landed partially on our fence. I checked faded paperwork on the house, which gave a phone number for one bank but it no longer had the home.

I have called eight numbers and talked with three companies involved with this house. I tried to contact someone about the fire hazard of the dead tree and vegetation. Last month, I spoke with a supervisor who assured me they would take care of the situation. This is not the mortgage company, but a company that services the property. Nothing has happened yet.

I filed a complaint with code enforcement in July. This house is not for sale and has not been since being vacated. How can homeowners fix this plague if banks and mortgage companies don’t care?

I, for one, will not stop trying.

Chris Powell

Spokane