Do I have rights against our township who own the property behind us and do not maintain it and it looks terrible?
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Do I have rights against our township who own the property behind us and do not maintain it and it looks terrible?
The township owns the property behind us which is wooded and gradually drops down to a creek. They purchased it from a previous owner who tried to fill it in to build but never could. It now has piles of cinder blocks, wood chips, and fallen over dead trees. I’ve contact the township but they never get back to me as to cleaning it up. We are tired of looking at the mess along with overgrown weeds which come up to our property and the whole thing looks terrible. We pay our taxes early and keep our property nice. They won’t seem to do anything. What are my rights?
Asked on May 28, 2009 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
B. B., Member, New Jersey Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 15 years ago | Contributor
This is a sad state of affairs, but I'm afraid it's not likely that there's much you can do about this. In most states, this isn't bad enough to satisfy the legal definition of a "nuisance," which is something that has a more serious effect on your property or your health and safety. Also, most states' courts are less likely to force local government to take action about its land than would be the case for private owners.
I'm not a Pennsylvania attorney. For reliable advice about your rights in this situation, based on all of the facts and your state's laws, you should talk to a lawyer in your area. One place to look for qualified counsel is our website, http://attorneypages.com
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