This is the s**thole of a house that sits 20 feet behind my home. And yes, those are raccoons, just some of the myriad wildlife occupying the house. Cute, aren’t they? And possibly carrying rabies, which is rampant in Western North Carolina.
This house is now an environmental health hazard (that’s lead paint flaking off of it into my yard), a fire hazard (for obvious reasons) and a wildlife habitat.
We’ve talked to the guy who owns the house about all this and more. Hell, we’ve offered to buy the house (as have others). The guy is, ironically, a respected businessman. But, clearly, something is way off. One of the neighbors says that if he sells the s**thole, half the money goes to his ex-wife, which is why he doesn’t want to sell.
In the mean time, I don’t allow my kids to venture behind our home because of the dangers. It sucks, really.
I’ve talked to a city home inspector and read the housing code on-line. I’ve talked to the county animal control unit. No one wants to do anything. The city wants a complaint signed by at least five neighbors. Then they might come take a look. Last time I called animal control, they came by and left a note on the guy’s door. Then nothing happened. I don’t want the house condemned, because then the city will just board it up and leave it. But I’m tired of asking the owner to fix stuff, and then having nothing change. I’m tired.
UPDATE: Writing this got me fired up, so I called the city housing complaints office. Again. They promised to send an inspector out today. I told them that I want follow-up, dammit. Now I’m mad.
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truly frustrating. for years, my backyard neighbor leased the home to renters who trashed the place. there was garbage all over the place. they left a dog chained out back, a dog i dubbed “Chained Heat,” because all the other neighborhood boy dogs would come over and rape Chained Heat, then we’d have mewling puppies all over the place. i had to put up a fence and everything. good luck. you’re gonna need it.
yesterday, when i read your blog about the squirrels, i said to myself “at least it’s not raccoons!”
dang, dearie! i’m sorry to hear about this derelict house so close to your family’s home. that’s a real danger to you and your precious children.
if there’s anything we (your readers) can do to help you get this issue resolved, please let us know.
Maybe we could picket the guy’s house one Friday afternoon?
Just invite all of BlogAsheville and all of your local readers over. We can make signs, take pictures, and make a royal scene of it.
Did you ever see the really old farmhouse behind where I used to live? It was literally falling apart and had been empty for years. The city FINALLY tore it down after years of my trying to keep Sonny Boy and other neighbor kids (whose guardians didn’t seem to care) away from it. Hubby tells me two beautiful new homes now sit there (I don’t visit old neighborhood - get too depressed.)
Dang, Edge. Sorry! I have no other words. Maybe somebody will do something about it before you accidentally burn it to the ground. Accidentally.
Thanks for the support, y’all. And yes, I’m aware of the irony of our currently having squirrels in our attic!
I like the idea, Screwy, but I don’t want to be too in the guy’s face. Clearly, something a bit mental is going on and he does know where I live!
Great comments. At least they can add a little levity to the situation. And at least you are doing something about it instead of just complaining and hoping the problem fixes itself. You have to keep at it sometimes to get something done. Go Edgy Mama!
What kind of person lives with raccoons? I feel better about myself now.
You may have to resort to violence:)
~Becky
Call the local newspapers and TV stations. Embarrass the businessman into doing something?
Show them your raccoon picture.
They’ll eat that up.
I freelance for the local newspaper, michelle! I don’t think they’re particularly interested. It’s not exactly breaking news…but I am considering querying a story on dangerous homes within the city limits!
i can hear it now…
“Can you neighbor’s house kill you? We’ll have shocking new video of a masked intruder that may cause harm to you and your family. Film at 11!”
Too bad that Ash isn’t the owner of this shack. The WLOSers would make it their lead story.
You say the paper won’t be interested, but I think it’s all in the headline. “Crappy neighbour refuses to fix house” might not up readership, but “local government agencies ignore plight of homeowners” has a nice ring to it. The story may have interest, too, if the prevalence of rabies is a well-known fact in your area.
Yet another COON sneaking into your bedroom! LOL