Webster law shames homeowners into catering to abandoned properties

A recent law in Webster, Massachusetts, may allow city officials to place large signs in front of abandoned rundown properties encouraging neighbors to contact the owners and ask them to make home repairs, according to Fox News.

The town health board reportedly approved the measure, which would allow officials to place 4-by-8-foot signs in front of dilapidated properties, listing the owner's name and telephone numbers.

According to the news source, Webster spends about $9,000 per year on expenses associated with abandoned houses.

Owners of the properties involved have allegedly been sent numerous requests to repair their property, but have ignored them, the town's building inspector, Theodore Tetreault, told the Worcester Telegram and Gazette

Other cities, such as Detroit, have resorted to completely different measures for dealing with the problem caused by rundown abandoned properties. The city has chosen to provide incentives for people moving away from rundown areas of town and will close them off completely.  

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