A series of bills Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara supported to help local communities address the persisting problem of vacant and abandoned properties, or “zombie properties,” were signed into law today.

The new laws ensure that properties trapped in the foreclosure process are properly maintained so that surrounding homes are not attacked by “zombies.” Currently, these properties are often caught in a limbo that leaves local governments responsible for upkeep costs, create blight, and decrease property values.

“These laws will help keep families in their homes, protect our neighborhoods and strengthen local communities,” said Santabarbara. “Upstate cities like Schenectady and Amsterdam and communities like the town of Rotterdam remain focused on revitalization efforts to strengthen our neighborhoods. It was important to ensure the passage of these bills, which will provide much-needed support to these municipalities, families and homeowners that have seen blight and declining property values and have been fighting the 'zombies' for too long.”

The series of laws takes on the zombie properties using multiple approaches. The measures include requiring banks to maintain vacant and abandoned properties; improving the efficiency and integrity of the mandatory settlement conferences to better protect homeowners facing foreclosure; creating a toll-free hotline for people to report potentially vacant and abandoned properties; establishing an electronic database of vacant and abandoned properties to be maintained by the State Department of Financial Services; creating an expedited foreclosure process for vacant and abandoned properties; and establishing a Consumer Bill of Rights to inform property owners of their rights in foreclosure proceedings and prevent people from losing their homes.

“These zombie properties negatively affect the property values of their neighbors, and citing them and maintaining them often falls on the backs of our taxpayers in the way of enforcement and cleanup,” Supervisor Tommasone said. “Our code enforcement officers respond to calls every day from town residents fed up with the blighted properties in some cases next door. These 'zombie' properties are a blight on our community, and we are grateful to Assemblyman Santabarbara for his efforts to address this issue.”

Santabarbara is also leading a “Be A Good Neighbor” campaign that calls on banks and lenders take responsibility for maintenance of upkeep of foreclosed homes under their ownership. For more information on the “Be A Good Neighbor” campaign, residents are encouraged to call Assemblyman Santabarbara’s office at 382-2941 or visit his website at http://nyassembly.gov/mem/Angelo-Santabarbara.