HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Nearly a year has passed, and homeowners in a southside neighborhood are still waiting for an abandoned house to be cleaned up.
“We take pride in our homes and keep them well-maintained,” said Brandon Smith, who bought a home on Mount Pleasant Street in late 2022.
However, Smith noted that the house next door has been a persistent issue. The windows are boarded up, no one lives there, and the lawn remains unmowed.
“I can’t even remember the last time it was cut,” said Craig Jones, another resident of Mount Pleasant.
Although it isn’t his responsibility, Smith has occasionally had his landscaper trim the weeds as poison ivy from the neglected yard encroaches on his fence line. However, he can no longer keep up with the overgrowth.
“It’s become so out of control that I can’t afford to have someone mow it now,” Smith admitted.
Eyewitness News visited the property owner’s listed address, which also appeared abandoned. Property records reveal the owner owes $17,000 in back taxes on the house.
Smith shared his emails to the city dating back to July 2023. In January, the city posted a violation notice at the home. A city spokesperson told Eyewitness News that the home’s most recent inspection was on May 15, and the owner was notified again of the code violations.
“People use the area behind the house as a restroom. There are rodents and stray animals back there,” Smith said.
After Eyewitness News contacted the city on Thursday, a spokesperson said a city contractor would mow the grass within two weeks. The city will then place a lien on the house to recoup the costs.
Residents say the delay has a significant impact on the South Union neighborhood.
“It makes it seem like a bad neighborhood,” Jones said.
