Distressed property next door. What to do?

Question

I purchased a 3 unit building in bronzeville about 2 years ago now and all of the houses and apartments on the block are in great shape with owners who care, except the one next door to my property. The property is a 3 unit building and has been all but abandoned since long before I bought my place. I've noticed on occasion, 1 guy comes and works on the interior of the property every few months for a few hours. He's honestly done nothing compared to the amount of work this place needs before someone could possibly move in.

How should I report this distressed property to the city? Is there a way to force the owner to sell it? Should I attempt to contact the owner myself and try to buy it? The ARV would be very much worth while but I definitely don't have the cash on hand to flip it or BRRR it. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

Ibrahim Hughes · Answer

@Patricia Steiner

You'd be surprised how much attention politicians pay when something is blasted to the media. If you can somehow get the media to give coverage or start some type of social media campaign that gets the politicians attention, I'm sure they'd take care of it. I would probably start by organizing The neighbors and start some type of public relations campaign.might be a good opportunity, if you don't already have one, to start a block association of some kind.

Patricia Steiner · Answer

Report the property to the city's code enforcement office; most cities will allow you to file online and you don't have to give your name.  Let the city contact the owner; with the city, they're not just "complaining;" they're enforcing. The owner will be given a certain length of time to make the repairs and fines will start right away for failure to do so.

Please report it today to protect your property value.