A totally reliable source told me this evening that the City of Waukegan is selling water and weed liens. Doesn't sound too bad does it?
Well, the liens are showing up on are showing up on the property title like unpaid taxes. Does this sound legal?
Are the property owners being informed that these liens are being sold? Do the property owners know that they could lose their property because of this situation?
Who and how was this authorized? These are fees not taxes!!!
What's next a lien against your vehicle because you didn't buy a city sticker?
Is the city in worse financial conditon than they have admitted?
I have no idea what this means. Can you explain?
JazminH Wrote:I have no idea what this means. Can you explain?
When a title search is done on a property (recently) liens show up for unpaid water/weed bills that have sold to individuals/companies by the city. These liens are being treated like unpaid property taxes and could potentialy cost someone their property if they weren't paid.
Perhaps the property owners should properly maintain their property or pay the bills. If the city has to go in and cut the grass, clean the weeds etc and the property owner does not pay the bill why should the city sit and wait for the money? The city tags the homeowner before and notifies them they have a certain amount of days before the city will come in and ticket them as do the work at the homeowners cost. If the owners were worried about the cost, they should take care of the problem before the city steps in. Are you saying it is fine for the city go in and clean up yards for free? I don't think so. It is the responsibility of the property owner to keep the property maintained. I think it is great the city is doing this. Maybe it will encourage some of the dead beat homeowners to think twice about letting their yards go to hell! We want progress, right? We want the city cleaned up, right? People need to be held responsibility for their actions (or lack of action).
It is not that Waukean has so many "deadbeat homeowners" it it as much as deadbeat, "all we want is money" landlords.
This city is full of many very bad landlords who live miles away from here, and they seldom come keep an eye on their property
(including their often "tennants from hell') until it is time to collect their monthly rent.
Most do not even come then, they have the tennants send their monery orders to a PO Box in some other city. Many such landlords
are even afraid of their own tennants, yet alone maintain their property or give a care about how their nightmare tennants are
impacting those of us who live here in Waukegan.
Regardless of who owns the property the responsibilty is theirs, not the city's. The city is acting responsibily in reducing debt by getting the unpaid leins off their books. If you don't want to lose your house for not paying your water bill or for having someone cut your grass....pay your bills and cut your lawn before it becomes a code violation. It is pretty simple. Anyone who loses their house due to this probably should not own a home to begin with.
sunny Wrote:Regardless of who owns the property the responsibilty is theirs, not the city's. The city is acting responsibily in reducing debt by getting the unpaid leins off their books. If you don't want to lose your house for not paying your water bill or for having someone cut your grass....pay your bills and cut your lawn before it becomes a code violation. It is pretty simple. Anyone who loses their house due to this probably should not own a home to begin with.
Doesn't a lein originate as the result of an unpaid contract from the owner or be the result of a civil judgement in court? I guess I'm a bit confused as to how an entity like the city of Waukegan can cut someones grass and automatically have a lein on that property. It seems a little unfair. Doesn't the property owner get a chance to challenge whether the grass needed cutting in the first place or whether the water bill is legitimately owed.