New Jersey borough revises definition of ‘owner’ for vacant property ordinance
Stanhope, NJ: The Borough Council decided real estate licensees are exempt from vacant property registration.
Concerns were raised from realtor groups about costs and other requirements for vacant properties associated with the then language describing an “owner,” that should not fall on the realtors’ shoulders.
Initially, the “owner” title included, “[T]he title holder, any agent of the title holder having authority to act with respect to a vacant property, any foreclosing entity subject to the provisions of C.46:10B-51 (P.L. 2008, c. 127, § 17), or any other entity determined by the Borough of Stanhope to act with respect to the property,” according to the initial ordinance.
To avoid potential snafu with entities that should not be levied with potential fees and fines for operating only partly on behalf of a vacant property, the language was revised to not apply to “duly licensed real estate agent(s) engaged solely in the sale of the property on behalf of the owner.”
Ascent combines focused research and centralized operations oversight to create innovative outsourced solutions for code enforcement violations, vacant property registration ordinances, property preservation, and other vendor management needs from across the United States.