Weeding Out Negligent Homeowners in Stratford

A negligent homeowner who fails to keep his property in good order poses a problem for all of Stratford.

“It’s a calling card for the town,” Gary Lorentson, the town’s blight enforcement officer, says of the homes and yards passersby and motorists see every day.

“We want to convey Stratford is clean and we care for our properties,” he says.

Lorentson says there are at least 30 properties in Stratford with overgrown vegetation, which is considered blight under the town’s property maintenance ordinance.

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” he says.

Lorentson says it’s around this time of year when the town gets the most calls from residents complaining about a neighbor’s neglected property.

After receiving the initial complaint, the part-time blight officer who works with Lorentson – who he says does the “grunt work” – will go down to the property to verify the grievance and see if there are any other issues that need to be remedied.

Then a letter is sent to the homeowner giving him 7 to 10 days to fix the outlined problems. No answer after 10 days and another letter is sent to the mortgage company.

If 10 days pass and still no response from the first or second letter, the town sends out contracted workers to mow the lawn. The town then puts a lien on the neglected property until the cost of mowing the lawn is paid.

That expense can top $400 as it takes into account municipal fees to arrange the work, says Lorentson. He says that in the past year, about $60,000 in liens has been paid back to the town, which had budgeted $10,000 for the mowing expenses.

“We try to give someone a courtesy first,” says Lorentson, adding that most complaints end up being vacant homes.

“It’s a balance between trying to give a property owner notice to do something without coming down too hard,” he says.