Zombie Homes in our Neighborhoods

amNewYork provides an online mapping tool that shows the concentration of zombie properties in communities hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis.

Check out this great special report on “zombie” properties in today’s amNewYork. The report, which documents the destructive impact that zombie properties have on their neighbors, provides a very useful new data and mapping tool showing how zombies are plaguing communities across New York.

“Zombies” are abandoned homes that are stuck in the foreclosure process, rapidly deteriorating with no one responsible for their upkeep. While banks are responsible for maintaining properties following a foreclosure, zombie properties remain in limbo. As the amNewYork map demonstrates, zombies are concentrated in communities hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis, creating health and safety hazards for their neighbors while lowering property values in communities that are already struggling to recover.

At the Center, we advocate for solutions that combat the rise of zombies by holding banks accountable for maintaining abandoned properties. Our Policy and Communications Director Matt Hassett is quoted in the amNewYork report discussing the need for legislation to address this issue. Check out our blog post from the other day when we joined State officials to advocate for this important new legislation.