Health and Safety Receivership Gets Over Two Decades of Languishing Construction Completed
What was intended to be an elegant home, sat as an unfinished construction site for over two decades. Work that had been started in the 1990s was nowhere near completion in 2018 when we arrived onsite following our appointment by the Superior Court. Significant problems included the unsafe storage of building materials, with some stacks over five feet in height, visible from the exterior and stacked against a neighboring property. Alarmingly, inside the house, overhead open beams were used to store large building materials. Further problems were the unfinished electrical work and an unfinished staircase, which was in use, as well as numerous exposed door frames, and visible signs of water damage across the two stories due to a leak.
Photos of the Property Prior to Receivership
Receivership Tries to Collaborate with the Owner to Complete the Needed Work
In this case, we tried an unconventional approach of allowing the owner to remain in control of completing the construction work under a court-approved plan with strict deadlines. A specialist from our team monitored their work and the court was given regular updates. While there were some setbacks and missed deadlines, ultimately this initially worked and accomplished the goal of allowing the owner a further opportunity to complete the project while keeping receivership costs to a minimum. With the work completed, the municipality inspected and signed off on the abatement of the code violations. The property was then listed for sale with a plan for the owner to receive the sale proceeds if they were unable to refinance the property.
After Giving the Owner Numerous Opportunities to Address the Health and Safety Code Violations, CRG Steps in to Complete the Work and Determine a Future for Property
Unfortunately, following the city’s inspection, the owner ended up unraveling the work that was done and added unpermitted modifications. Following these developments, the court ordered that we take control of the property to ensure the removal of the new code violations. Eventually, it was determined that the best course of action was to sell the property to a buyer committed to responsible ownership.
