[Adopted 4-4-2017 by Ord. No. 8-4-2017[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also changed the title of this Chapter 41 from "Abandoned Property" to its current title.
A. 
It is the intent of this chapter and articles to, through the adoption of this article, establish a vacant property management system and authorize new, and changes to existing, policies and procedures for the registration, maintenance and compliance monitoring of vacant properties as a mechanism to protect and preserve the public health, safety, welfare, security, neighborhood vitality, economic vitality and the quiet enjoyment of residents, by:
(1) 
Requiring all property owners, including lenders, trustees and service companies, to properly maintain vacant, unimproved and/or foreclosing properties; and
(2) 
Regulating the maintenance of vacant, unimproved and/or foreclosing properties in order to prevent unsecured unsafe structures in neighborhoods and neighborhood blight.
B. 
In addition to any other remedies in law or equity not set forth herein, enforcement authority shall be vested in the Code Enforcement Department including, but not limited to, the Code Enforcement Department and its respective inspectors. The Construction Department, County Health Department, Police Department, Fire Department and the Department of Public Works shall also have enforcement authority with respect to this article. The Township Manager may also designate, when necessary, additional enforcement duties for other departments to protect neighborhoods from becoming blighted through the lack of adequate maintenance and security of vacant properties.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CREDITOR
A mortgagee or an agent or assignee of a mortgagee, such as the servicer, who has filed a complaint in the Superior Court seeking to foreclose upon a residential or commercial mortgage. If the entity seeking to foreclose upon the residential or commercial mortgage changes as a result of an assignment, transfer, or otherwise after the filing of the foreclosure complaint in Superior Court, the new entity shall be deemed the creditor. A creditor shall not include the state, a political subdivision of the state, a state, county, or local government entity, or their agent or assignee, such as the servicer.
[Added 12-7-2022 by Ord. No. 26-12-2022]
DWELLING UNIT
Shall mean and include that portion of a building or structure rented or offered for rent to one or more tenants or family units. A room or series of connected rooms designed for permanent residency, containing living, cooking, sleeping and sanitary facilities. The dwelling unit shall be self-contained and shall not require the use of outside stairs (other than those required for initial access to the structure), passage through another dwelling unit or other indirect route to get to any portion of the dwelling unit. Any cottage, bungalow, room or group of rooms in occupying all or part of a floor or floors in a building, with housekeeping facilities for dwelling purposes.
EVIDENCE OF VACANCY
A. 
Any condition that on its own, or combined with other conditions present, would lead a reasonable person to believe that the property is vacant or has the potential to become vacant. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, a property that is under a current notice of default and/or notice of Sheriffs sale and/or pending tax lien sale or has been foreclosed upon by the mortgagee or has been conveyed to the mortgagor, beneficiary or trustee via a deed in lieu of foreclosure; overgrown and/or dead vegetation, accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers and/or mail, past-due utility notices and/or disconnected utilities, accumulation of trash, junk and/or debris, the absence of window coverings such as curtains, blinds and/or shutters, the absence of furnishings and/or personal items consistent with residential habitation, statements by neighbors, passersby, delivery agents, or government employees that the property is vacant.
B. 
An unoccupied property, apartment or dwelling unit that the owner or responsible party intends to make habitable shall be considered a vacant property subject to the requirements of this article herein defined until which time the Municipal Code Enforcement Official or designee has deemed the unit habitable in accordance with applicable codes or the unit has been demolished.
OWNER
Every person or entity, executor, administrator of estate, trustee, agent, real estate agency, property manager or interested parties, who alone or severally with others, has legal or equitable title to any dwelling, dwelling unit, mobile dwelling unit or parcel of land, vacant or otherwise; or
[Amended 12-7-2022 by Ord. No. 26-12-2022]
A. 
Has care, charge or control of any dwelling, dwelling unit or parcel of land, vacant or otherwise, in any capacity, including but not limited to agent, executor, executrix, administrator, administratrix, trustee or guardian of the estate of the holder of legal title; or
B. 
Is a mortgagee in possession of any such property; or
C. 
Is an agent, trustee or other person appointed by the courts and vested with possession or control of any such property; or
D. 
Is an officer or trustee of the association of unit owners of a condominium. Each such person is bound to comply as if he were the owner. However, this article shall not apply to any condominium association or co-op that forecloses or initiates the foreclosure process for unpaid assessments due or owing the association; or
E. 
Every person who operates a rooming house; or
F. 
A creditor required to register with the Township pursuant to Article III of this chapter.
SECURING
Such measures as may be directed by the Township Code Enforcement Officer or his or her designee that assist in rendering the property inaccessible to unauthorized persons, including but not limited to the repairing or replacement of fences and walls, chaining/padlocking of gates, the repair, replacement or boarding of doors, windows and/or other openings. Boarding shall be completed to a minimum of the current HUD securing standards at the time the boarding is completed or required.
VACANT
[Amended 12-7-2022 by Ord. No. 26-12-2022]
A. 
A building, structure, property or unimproved land that is unoccupied or not legally occupied and either subject to a violation issued pursuant to Section 3 of P.L. 2021, c. 444 (N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.12s3) or satisfies at least two of the following conditions:
(1) 
Overgrown or neglected vegetation;
(2) 
The accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers or mail on the property;
(3) 
Disconnected gas, electric, or water utility services to the property;
(4) 
The accumulation of hazardous, noxious, or unhealthy substances or materials on the property;
(5) 
The accumulation of junk, litter, trash or debris on the property;
(6) 
The absence of window treatments such as blinds, curtains or shutters;
(7) 
The absence of furnishings and personal items;
(8) 
Statements of neighbors, delivery persons, representatives of a common interest community association, or government employees indicating that the residence is vacant and abandoned;
(9) 
Windows or entrances to the property that are boarded up or closed off or multiple window panes that are damaged, broken and unrepaired;
(10) 
Doors to the property that are smashed through, broken off, unhinged, or continuously unlocked;
(11) 
A risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public, or any adjoining or adjacent property owners, exists due to acts of vandalism, loitering, criminal conduct, or the physical destruction or deterioration of the property;
(12) 
An uncorrected violation of a municipal building, housing, or similar code during the preceding year, or an order by municipal authorities declaring the property to be unfit for occupancy and to remain vacant and unoccupied;
(13) 
The mortgagee or other authorized party has secured or winterized the property due to the property being deemed vacant and unprotected or in danger of freezing;
(14) 
A written statement issued by any mortgagor expressing the clear intent of all mortgagors to abandon the property;
(15) 
Any other reasonable indicia of abandonment.
B. 
For the purposes of this article, a residential property shall not be considered "vacant" if, on the property:
(1) 
There is an unoccupied building which is undergoing construction, renovation, or rehabilitation that is proceeding diligently to completion, and the building is in compliance with all applicable ordinances, codes, regulations, and statutes;
(2) 
There is a building occupied on a seasonal basis, but otherwise secure; or
(3) 
There is a building that is secure, but is the subject of a probate action, action to quiet title, or other ownership dispute.
A. 
Registration. Effective immediately, the owner of any vacant property as defined herein shall, within 30 calendar days after the building becomes vacant property or within 30 calendar days after assuming ownership of the vacant property, whichever is later, or within 10 calendar days of receipt of notice by the municipality, file a registration statement for such vacant property with the Township Clerk on forms provided by the Township Clerk for such purposes. Failure to receive notice by the municipality shall not constitute grounds for failing to register the property.
(1) 
Each property having a separate block and lot number as designated in the official records of the municipality shall be registered separately.
(2) 
The registration statement shall include the name, street address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if applicable) of a person 18 years or older designated by the owner or owners as the authorized agent for receiving notices of code violations and for receiving process in any court proceeding or administrative enforcement proceeding on behalf of such owner or owners in connection with the enforcement of any applicable code; and the name, street address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if applicable) of the firm and the actual name(s) of the firm's individual principal(s) responsible for maintaining the property. The individual or representative of the firm responsible for maintaining the property shall be available by telephone or in person on a twenty-four-hour-per-day, seven-day-per-week basis. The two entities may be the same or different persons. Both entities shown on the statement must maintain offices in the State of New Jersey or reside within the State of New Jersey.
(3) 
The registration shall remain valid for one year from the date of registration except for the initial registration time which shall be from the time of registration through December 31 of the year of registration. The owner shall be required to renew the registration annually as long as the building remains a vacant property and shall pay a registration or renewal fee in the amount prescribed in Subsection D of this section for each vacant property registered.
[Amended 7-18-2017 by Ord. No. 16-7-2017]
(4) 
The annual renewal shall be completed by January 1 each year.
[Amended 7-18-2017 by Ord. No. 16-7-2017]
(5) 
The owner shall notify the Clerk within 30 calendar days of any change in the registration information by filing an amended registration statement on a form provided by the Clerk for such purpose.
(6) 
The registration statement shall be deemed prima facie proof of the statement therein contained in any administrative enforcement or court proceeding instituted by the Township against the owner or owners of the building.
B. 
Access to vacant properties. The owner of any vacant property registered under this article shall provide access to the Township to conduct exterior and interior inspections of the building to determine compliance with municipal codes, upon reasonable notice to the property owner or designated agent. Such inspections shall be carried out on weekdays during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or such other time as may be mutually agreed upon between the owner and the Township.
C. 
Responsible owner or agent.
(1) 
An owner who meets the requirements of this article with respect to the location of his or her residence or workplace in the State of New Jersey may designate himself or herself as agent or as the individual responsible for maintaining the property.
(2) 
By designating an authorized agent under the provisions of this section, the owner consents to receive any and all notices of code violations concerning the registered vacant property and all process in any court proceeding or administrative enforcement proceeding brought to enforce code provisions concerning the registered building by service of the notice or process on the authorized agent. Any owner who has designated an authorized agent under the provisions of this section shall be deemed to consent to the continuation of the agent's designation for the purposes of this section until the owner notices the Township of Evesham, in writing, of a change of authorized agent or until the owner files a new annual registration statement.
(3) 
Any owner who fails to register vacant property under the provisions of this article shall further be deemed to consent to receive, by posting on the building, in plain view, and by service of notice at the last known address of the owner of the property on record within the Township of Evesham by regular and certified mail, any and all notices of code violations and all process in an administrative proceeding brought to enforce code provisions concerning the building.
D. 
Fee schedule. The initial registration fee for each building shall be $500. The fee for the first renewal is $1,500. The fee for any subsequent renewal beyond the first renewal is $2,000.
[Amended 12-7-2022 by Ord. No. 26-12-2022]
Vacant Property Registration Fee Schedule
Initial registration
$500
First renewal
$1,500
Subsequent renewal
$2,000
E. 
Requirements of owners of vacant property. The owner of any building that has become vacant property, and any person maintaining or operating or collecting rent for any such building that has become vacant, shall, within 30 days thereof:
(1) 
Enclose and secure the building against unauthorized entry as provided in the applicable provisions of the Township of Evesham Code, or as set forth in the rules and regulations supplementing those codes; and
(2) 
Post a sign affixed to the building indicating the name, address and telephone number of the owner, the owner's authorized agent for the purposes of process, and the person responsible for the day-to-day supervision and management of the building, if such person is different from the owner holding title or authorized agent. The sign shall be posted on the interior of a window facing the street to the front of the property that is visible from the nearest public street or sidewalk, whichever is nearer, and shall be no smaller than eight inches by 10 inches; and
(3) 
Secure the building from unauthorized entry and maintain the sign until the building is again legally occupied or demolished or until repair or rehabilitation of the building is complete; and
(4) 
Ensure that the exterior grounds of the structure, including yards, fences, sidewalks, walkways, rights-of-way, alleys, retaining walls, attached or unattached accessory structures and driveways, are well maintained and free from trash, debris, loose litter, and grass and weed growth, vehicles and accumulation of newspapers/flyers/notices; and
(5) 
Continue to maintain the structure in a secure and closed condition and keep the grounds in a clean and well maintained condition, and ensure that the sign is visible and intact until the building is again occupied, demolished, or until repair and/or rehabilitation of the building is complete.
(6) 
Pools and spas shall be kept in working order so that the water remains clear and free of pollutants and debris or drained and kept dry. In either case, properties with pools and/or spas must comply with the minimum security fencing requirement of the Township.
F. 
Violations/penalty
(1) 
Any person who violates any provisions of this section or the rules and regulations issued hereunder shall be fined not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 for each offense. Every day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. Fines assessed under this section shall be recoverable from the owner and shall be a lien on the property.
(2) 
For purposes of this section, failure to file a registration statement within 30 calendar days after a building becomes vacant property or within 30 calendar days after assuming ownership of a vacant property, whichever is later, or within 10 calendar days of receipt of notice by the municipality, and failure to provide correct information on the registration statement, or failure to comply with the provisions of such provisions contained herein, shall be deemed to be violations of this article.
(3) 
Any fine(s) or cost(s) associated with cleaning up the property that remains uncollected or unpaid shall, by resolution of the Township Council, become a lien upon the property, which lien shall hereafter form part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon said lands, the same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes to be collected and enforced by the same officers and in the same manner as taxes.