Albuquerque City Councilor Diane Gibson is proposing amendments to sections of the Uniform Housing Code to make it easier for the City to deal with “Abandoned Properties”. “It is councilor Gibson’s style to get feedback from stakeholders,” says John Lopez, President-elect of the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®, an invited member of the workgroup tasked by Gibson to make recommendations.

The proposal attempts to do three things:

1. Identify “Responsible Parties” for abandoned residential properties and hold them accountable to clean up and secure properties.
    
2. Identify “Responsible Parties” for abandoned commercial properties and hold them accountable to clean up and secure properties.
    
3. Move cases from criminal court to a civil action to make it easier for the city to place liens against abandoned properties to force foreclosure and eventual auction.

As always, the devils, and the angels, are in the details and there are many unanswered questions about how this will work in the “Real World.”

We will do our best to keep you updated on this issue!

Kent Cravens
Executive Vice President
Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS®