Pursuant to the provisions of § 99-11 of this article, the Township or its designee shall establish a registry containing the information required by this article, cataloging each foreclosed real property or vacant property within the Township.
A. 
Any mortgagee who holds a mortgage on foreclosed real property located within the Township shall perform an inspection of the property to determine vacancy or occupancy, upon default by the mortgagor, as evidenced by a foreclosure filing, of 30 days or more upon request by the Township. The mortgagee shall, within 10 days of the inspection, register the property with the Township's Department of Community Development, or its designee, on forms or by website access provided by the Township, and indicate whether the property is vacant or occupied. A separate registration form and fee is required for each property, whether it is found to be vacant or occupied.
B. 
If the property is occupied but remains in default, it shall be inspected by the mortgagee or their designee monthly until:
(1) 
The mortgagor or other party remedies the default; or
(2) 
The property is found to be vacant or shows evidence of vacancy, at which time the mortgagee shall, within 10 days of that inspection, update the property registration to a vacancy status on the required forms.
C. 
Registration pursuant to this section shall contain the name of the mortgagee and the servicer, the direct mailing address of the mortgagee and the servicer, a direct contact name and telephone number for both parties, a facsimile number and e-mail address for both parties, the folio or tax number for the property, and the name and twenty-four-hour contact phone number of the property management company responsible for the security and maintenance of the property.
D. 
A nonrefundable semiannual registration fee, in an amount as established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors, shall accompany the registration form or website registration.
E. 
Each individual property on the registry that has been registered for 12 months or more prior to July 1, 2020 shall have 30 days to renew the registration and pay the nonrefundable semiannual registration fee. Properties registered less than 12 months prior to July 1, 2020 shall renew the registration every six months from the expiration of the original registration renewal date and shall pay the nonrefundable semiannual registration fee.
F. 
If the mortgage and/or servicing on a registrable property is sold or transferred, the new mortgagee is subject to all the terms of this chapter. Within 10 days of the transfer, the new mortgagee shall register the property or update the existing registration. The previous mortgagee(s) will not be released from the responsibility of paying all previous unpaid fees, fines, and penalties accrued during that mortgagee's involvement with the registrable property.
G. 
If the mortgagee sells or transfers the registrable property in a non-arm's length transaction to a related entity or person, the transferee is subject to all the terms of this chapter. Within 10 days of the transfer, the transferee shall register the property or update the existing registration. Any and all previous unpaid fees, fines, and penalties, regardless of who the mortgagee was at the time registration was required, including, but not limited to, unregistered periods during the foreclosure process, are the responsibility of the transferee and are due and payable with the updated registration. The previous mortgagee will not be released from the responsibility of paying all previous unpaid fees, fines, and penalties accrued during that mortgagee's involvement with the foreclosed property.
H. 
If the foreclosing or foreclosed property is not registered, or the registration fee is not paid within 30 days of when the registration or renewal is required pursuant to this section, a late fee equivalent to 10% of the semiannual registration fee shall be charged for every thirty-day period, or portion thereof, the property is not registered and shall be due and payable with the registration.
I. 
All registration fees must be paid by the mortgagee, servicer, trustee, or owner. Third party registration fees are not allowed without the consent of the Township and/or its authorized designee.
J. 
This section shall also apply to properties that have been the subject of a foreclosure sale where the title was transferred to the beneficiary of a mortgage involved in the foreclosure, and any properties transferred under a deed in lieu of foreclosure/sale.
K. 
Properties subject to this section shall remain under the semiannual registration requirement and the inspection, security, and maintenance standards of this section as long as they remain a foreclosed real property.
L. 
Any person or legal entity that has registered a property under this section must report any change of information contained in the registration within 10 days of the change.
M. 
Failure of any person or legal entity to properly register the property, or to modify the registration form from time to time to reflect a change of circumstances as required by this article, is a violation of the article and shall be subject to enforcement.
N. 
Pursuant to any administrative or judicial finding and determination that any property is in violation of this article, the Township may take the necessary action to ensure compliance and place a lien on the property for the cost of the work performed to benefit the property and bring it into compliance.
O. 
Registration of the foreclosure property does not alleviate the mortgagee and/or owner from obtaining all required licenses, permits, and inspections required by applicable code or state statutes. Acquisition of required licenses, permits, and inspections or registration of rental property does not alleviate the requirement for the property to be registered under this section. The mortgagee and/or owner is expected to update the status of the property in the event of a mortgagee managed rental.
A. 
Any owner of vacant property located within the Township shall, within 10 days after the property becomes vacant, register the vacant property with the Township.
B. 
Initial registration pursuant to this section shall contain, at a minimum, the name, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the owner and, if applicable, the name, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the property manager.
C. 
At the time of initial registration, each registrant shall pay a nonrefundable annual registration fee for each vacant property. Subsequent nonrefundable annual renewal registrations of vacant properties and fees are due within 10 days of the expiration of the previous registration. Said fees shall be used to offset the costs of: (1) registration and registration enforcement, (2) code enforcement and mitigation related to vacant properties, and (3) any related purposes as may be adopted in the policy set forth by the Township. Said fees shall be deposited to a special account in the Township dedicated to the cost of implementation and enforcement of this chapter and fulfilling the purpose and intent of this chapter.
D. 
If the property is sold or transferred, the new owner is subject to all the terms of this chapter. Within 10 days of the transfer, the new owner shall register the vacant property or update the existing registration. The previous owner(s) will not be released from the responsibility of paying all previous unpaid fees, fines, and penalties accrued during that owner's involvement with the vacant property.
E. 
If the vacant property is not registered, or either the registration fee or the annual registration fee is not paid within 30 days of when the registration or annual registration is required pursuant to this section, a late fee equivalent to 10% of the required registration fee shall be charged for every thirty-day period, or portion thereof, the property is not registered and shall be due and payable with the registration. This section shall apply to the initial registration and registrations required by subsequent owners of the vacant property.
F. 
Properties subject to this section shall remain subject to the annual registration requirement and the inspection, security, and maintenance standards of this section as long as the property is vacant.
G. 
Failure of the owner to properly register or to modify the registration to reflect a change of circumstances as required by this section is a violation of this chapter and shall be subject to enforcement by any of the enforcement means available to the Township.
H. 
If any property is in violation of this chapter, the Township may take the necessary action to ensure compliance with this chapter, including placing a lien on the property for the cost of the outstanding obligation and any additional cost incurred by the Township to bring the property into compliance with this chapter.
I. 
Properties registered as a result of this section are not required to be registered again separately pursuant to § 99-11; however, semiannual fees may be applied.
A. 
Properties subject to this chapter shall be kept free of grass and weeds in excess of six inches; overgrown brush; dead vegetation; trash; junk; debris; unused, stored building materials; any accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers, or notices, except those required by federal, state, or local laws; discarded personal items, including, but not limited to, furniture, clothing, large and small appliances, or printed material; and any other items that give the appearance that the property is vacant or an abandoned real property.
B. 
The property shall be maintained so that it is free of graffiti or similar markings by methods including removal of or painting over the graffiti or markings with an exterior grade paint that matches the color of the exterior of the structure.
C. 
All yard areas, including landscaping, shall be maintained in accordance with the applicable code(s) at the time registration was required.
D. 
Yard maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, watering; irrigation; cutting and mowing of grass, ground covers, bushes, shrubs, hedges, or similar plantings as appropriate; and removal of the trimmings. Decorative rock, mulch, bark, or artificial turf/sod areas shall not contain weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt, or similar material.
E. 
Pools and spas shall be maintained so that the water remains free of pollutants and debris and shall comply with the regulations set forth in the applicable code(s).
F. 
Failure of the mortgagee and/or owner to properly maintain the property may result in a violation of the applicable code(s) and issuance of a citation or notice of violation. The Township may take any necessary action to ensure compliance with this section.
G. 
In addition to the above, any other necessary upkeep shall be performed in order to prevent the foreclosed real property from becoming a blighted property as defined by this chapter, and the property is required to be otherwise maintained in accordance with all other applicable code(s).
A. 
Properties subject to this chapter shall be maintained in a secure manner so as not to be an attractive nuisance, accessible property/structure, or to create a blighted property. A "secure manner" shall include, but not be limited to, the closing and locking of windows, doors, gates, fences, walls, and other openings of such size that may allow a child or other unauthorized person to access the interior of the property or structure.
B. 
Broken windows, doors, gates, fences, walls, and other openings of such size that may allow a child or other unauthorized person to access the interior of the property or structure must be repaired upon registration of the real property and maintained in a secure manner. Broken windows shall be secured by reglazing of the windows.
C. 
Once a real property becomes a foreclosed real property, a property management company shall be designated by the mortgagee or owner to perform the work necessary to bring the property into compliance with the applicable code(s), and the property management company must perform regular inspections to verify compliance with the requirements of this chapter and any other applicable codes of the Township.