Urgent Vacant Building and Property Ordinance Adopted by City Council

(Stockton, CA) – On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the Stockton City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will protect neighborhoods from becoming blighted through lack of maintenance and security of vacant and abandoned buildings and properties. The ordinance, which is intended to address health and safety issues, was adopted on an urgency basis and will become effective immediately.

The ordinance will ensure that vacant and abandoned properties, and the costs associated with upkeep, are the responsibility of the property owners and do not become a nuisance and liability of the surrounding community. Property owners will be required to post vacant and abandoned property with 24-hour contact information for the owner or local property manager on a street-facing, weather resistant, 4” x 6” sign.

Requirements for security, upkeep, and maintenance are the same for vacant and abandoned buildings and properties, as for those that are occupied. In recent months, it has been increasingly difficult and time consuming to identify and locate property owners for vacant properties, due to the number of foreclosures. Delayed Code Enforcement action has resulted in attracting transients and vandals, depreciation of surrounding properties, and posing risk or danger to the neighborhood. This ordinance emphasizes that property owners must actively monitor and maintain the exterior appearance of these properties.

For a copy or summary of the ordinance, please visit the Neighborhood Services web page. For additional information, please contact the Connie Cochran, Public Information Officer, at (209) 937-8827.
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Recently a California Apartment Association Member advertised a rental unit on the Internet. Following is his account of the story:

Day 1: One potential renter responded from the United Kingdom claiming to be relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area within two weeks and he needed a place to stay urgently. His sponsoring company would send me the rent and security deposit and some extra for his expense.

Day 2 - 6: He kept on sending emails checking to see if the check had arrived. He was very nice on the phone.

Day 6: A cashier check arrived from overseas with the amount two times required.

Day 7: He sent me an email, asking for the extra amount to be remitted to his oversea location through Western Union to cover his needed airfare and relocation expense. He expressed this request in an extremely urgent manner. He called several more times urging that it be done immediately.

This was a red flag to me so I checked with the bank that issued the cashier check and learned that the check was a fake. I also noticed that the 'potential renter' called from area codes in the United States - not from overseas.

Again in mid-July I posted the same unit on line. I got the same response from a different person, also from the United Kingdom with a very similar story. Certainly, I just ignored it this time.

Editor's Note:
The California Apartment Association has received other calls from members regarding these scam attempts and some local media organizations have reported on the trend. To read other examples of this scheme, go to www.google.com and enter the search phrase "Rent Scams."