Source: https://ecode360.com/14837241
Timestamp: 2020-05-30 06:52:25
Document Index: 410451697

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50', '§ 50']

Borough of Brooklawn, NJ Abandoned Property
§ 50-1 Criteria.
§ 50-2 Abandoned properties list.
§ 50-3 Requests by interested parties for additions to list.
§ 50-4 Removal of property from list.
§ 50-5 Sale of restricted tax liens.
§ 50-6 Special tax sale; eligibility of bidders; notice.
§ 50-7 Expedited action to foreclose right of redemption.
§ 50-8 Status during expedited foreclosure.
§ 50-9 Summary action for control and possession.
§ 50-10 Borough rehabilitation or designation of qualified rehabilitation entity.
§ 50-11 Petition for reinstatement of control and possession of owner.
§ 50-12 Procedure for Borough to place liens, obtain title and sell property.
Chapter 50 Abandoned Property
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Brooklawn 4-19-2010 by Ord. No. 3-10; amended in its entirety 12-17-2012 by Ord. No. 12-12. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
A property which contains both residential and nonresidential space may be considered abandoned pursuant to N.J.S.A. 55:19-78 et seq. so long as 2/3 or more of the total net square footage of the building was previously legally occupied as residential space and none of the residential space has been legally occupied for at least six months at the time of the determination of abandonment by the Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5.
The Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, shall identify abandoned property within the Borough of Brooklawn for the purpose of establishing an abandoned property list. The abandoned property list shall include, for each abandoned property identified, the tax block and lot number, the name of the owner of record, if known, and the street address of the lot. The Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, may add properties to the abandoned property list at any time and may delete properties at any time when he or she finds that the property no longer meets the definition of an abandoned property.
An abandoned property shall not be included on the abandoned property list if rehabilitation is being performed in a timely manner, as evidenced by building permits issued and diligent pursuit of rehabilitation work authorized by those permits. A property on which an entity other than the Borough of Brooklawn has purchased or taken assignment from the Borough of a tax sale certificate which has been placed on the abandoned property list may be removed if the owner of the certificate pays all municipal taxes and liens due on the property within 30 days after the property is placed on the list; provided, however, that if the owner of the certificate fails to initiate foreclosure proceedings within six months after the property was first placed on the list, the property shall be restored to the abandoned property list in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 55:19-50.
The Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, shall establish the abandoned property list and any additions or deletions thereto by authorizing the publication of the list in the official newspaper of the Borough of Brooklawn, which publication shall constitute public notice, and, within 10 days after publication, shall send a notice, by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by regular mail, to the owner of record of every property included on the list. The published and mailed notices shall identify property determined to be abandoned, setting forth the owner of record, if known, the tax lot and block number, and the street address. The Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, in consultation with the Tax Collector, shall also send out a notice, by regular mail, to any mortgagee, servicing organization, or property tax processing organization that receives a duplicate copy of the tax bill pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:4-64d. When the owner of record is not known for a particular property and cannot be ascertained by the exercise of reasonable diligence by the Tax Collector, notice shall not be mailed but instead shall be posted on the property in the manner as provided in N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.7. The mailed notice shall indicate the factual basis for the finding of the Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, that the property is abandoned property, as that term is defined herein and in N.J.S.A. 55:19-54, and shall specify the information relied upon in making such finding. In all cases, a copy of the mailed or posted notice shall also be filed by the Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, in the office of the Camden County Clerk. This filing shall have the same force and effect as a formal notice under N.J.S.A. 2A:15-6. The notice shall be captioned with the name of the Borough of Brooklawn as "plaintiff" and the name of the property owner as "defendant," as though an action had been commenced by the Borough against the owner.
An owner or lienholder may challenge the inclusion of his/her/its property on the abandoned property list by appealing that determination to the Borough Council within 30 days of the owner's receipt of the certified notice or 40 days from the date upon which the notice was sent. An owner whose identity was not known to the Compliance Officer, or such other public officer designated or appointed by the Borough Council pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.5, shall have 40 days from the date upon which notice was published or posted, whichever is later, to challenge the inclusion of a property on the abandoned property list. For good cause shown, the Borough Council shall accept a late filing of an appeal. Within 30 days of receipt of a request for an appeal of the findings contained in the notice, the Borough Council shall schedule a hearing for redetermination of the matter. Any property included on the list shall be presumed to be abandoned property unless the owner, through the submission of an affidavit or certification asserting that the property is not an abandoned property, can demonstrate that the property was erroneously included on the list. The affidavit or certification shall be accompanied by supporting documentation, such as, but not limited to, photographs, repair invoices, bills and construction contracts. The sole ground for appeal shall be that the property in question is not abandoned property as that term is defined herein and in N.J.S.A. 55:19-54. The Borough Council shall decide any timely filed appeal within 10 days of the hearing on the appeal and shall promptly, by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by regular mail, notify the property owner of the decision and the reasons therefor.
The abandoned property list shall become effective, and the Borough of Brooklawn shall have the right to pursue any legal remedy with respect to properties on the list, at any time after at least one property has been placed on the list and following the expiration of the period for appeal with respect to that first property or upon the denial of an appeal brought by the property owner of that first property.
Any interested party may submit a written request to the Borough Council asserting that any property within the Borough of Brooklawn should be included on the abandoned property list. The written request must specify the street address and block and lot number of the property to be included and the grounds for its inclusion. Within 30 days of receipt of any such request, the Borough Council shall provide a written response to the party, either indicating that the property will be added to the list or, if not, the reasons for not adding the property. For the purposes of this section, the term "interested parties" shall include any resident of the Borough of Brooklawn, any owner or operator of a business within the Borough of Brooklawn or any organization representing the interests of residents or business owners, or otherwise engaged in furthering the revitalization and improvement of the neighborhood in which the property is located.
An owner may request removal of his/her/its property from the abandoned properties list prior to sale of the tax sale certificate by paying all taxes and Borough liens due, including interest and penalties, and:
The Borough of Brooklawn may, at its option, require that the sale of the tax sale certificate or any subsequent assignment or transfer of a tax sale certificate held by the Borough be subject to the express condition that the purchaser or assignee shall be obliged to perform and conclude any rehabilitation or repairs necessary to remove the property from the abandoned property list pursuant to N.J.S.A. 55:19-55 and to post a bond in favor of the Borough to guarantee the rehabilitation or repair of the property. The Borough Council may waive a requirement to post a bond imposed by the Borough for any purchaser, assignee or transferee of a tax sale certificate that provides documentation acceptable to the Borough Council that the purchaser, assignee or transferee is a qualified rehabilitation entity as defined in N.J.S.A. 55:19-80. The cost of rehabilitation and repairs and the cost of the bond shall be added to the amount required to be paid by the owner for redemption of the property. The purchaser, assignee or transferee of the tax sale certificate who is required to rehabilitate and repair the property shall be required to file the appropriate affidavits with the Tax Collector, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-62, representing the amounts of moneys expended periodically toward the rehabilitation or repair of the property. A purchaser, assignee or transferee shall be entitled to interest on the amounts expended, as set forth in the affidavits, at the delinquent rate of interest for delinquencies in excess of $1,500 in effect for the time period when the amounts were expended, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:4-67. The tax sale certificate purchaser, assignee or transferee, with the authority of the Borough of Brooklawn, shall be permitted to enter in and upon the property for the purposes of appraising the costs of rehabilitation and repair and to perform all other acts required to guarantee the completion of the rehabilitation or repair of the property. No rehabilitation or repair work shall be commenced, however, until proof of adequate liability insurance and an indemnification agreement, holding the Borough of Brooklawn harmless, has been filed with the Borough Clerk.
If the Borough of Brooklawn acquires the tax sale certificate for a property on the abandoned property list, then, upon 10 days' written notice to the property owner and any mortgagee as of the date of the filing of the notice pursuant to N.J.S.A. 55:19-55, the Borough shall be permitted to enter upon the property and remediate any conditions that caused the property to be included on the abandoned property list. No remediation shall be commenced, however, if, within that ten-day period, the owner or mortgagee shall have notified the Borough, in writing, that the owner or mortgagee has elected to perform the remediation itself. When the owner or mortgagee elects to perform the remediation itself, it shall be required to post bond in favor of the Borough of Brooklawn in order to ensure performance. The amount and conditions of the bond shall be determined by the Borough Council.
The cost of remediation incurred by the Borough of Brooklawn, as so certified by the entity incurring the cost upon completion of the remediation, shall constitute a lien upon the property first in time and right to any other lien, whether the other lien was filed prior to or after the filing of any lien by the Borough, except for Borough taxes, liens and assessments and any lien imposed pursuant to the Spill Compensation and Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.11 et seq., together with any interest thereon. The certification of cost shall be filed and recorded as a lien by the entity incurring the cost with the Camden County Clerk.
The Borough of Brooklawn may hold special tax sales with respect to those properties eligible for tax sale pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-19 which are also on the abandoned property list.
The Borough of Brooklawn shall provide notice of a special tax sale pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-26. The notice shall include any special terms of sale established by the Borough pursuant to this section. Nothing shall prohibit the Borough from holding a special tax sale on the same day as a standard or accelerated tax sale.
When a person or entity other than the Borough of Brooklawn acquires a tax sale certificate for a property on the abandoned property list at tax sale, the purchaser may institute an action to foreclose the right of redemption at any time after the expiration of just six months following the date of the sale of the tax sale certificate.
When the Borough of Brooklawn is the purchaser at tax sale of any property on the abandoned property list pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-34, an action to foreclose the right of redemption may be instituted in accordance with the provisions of Subsection b of N.J.S.A. 54:5-77.
If an entity other than the Borough of Brooklawn has purchased or taken assignment from the Borough of a tax sale certificate on a property that has not been legally occupied for a period of six months, that property shall not be added to the abandoned property list under the following limited circumstances:
A determination that a property is abandoned property under the provisions of this chapter and N.J.S.A.. 55:19-78 et seq. shall not constitute a finding that the use of the property has been abandoned for purposes of municipal zoning or land use regulation.
A summary action or other action to transfer possession and control of abandoned property in need of rehabilitation to the Borough of Brooklawn may be brought by the Borough in the Superior Court, Camden County. If the court shall find that the property is abandoned and that the owner or party in interest has failed to submit and initiate a rehabilitation plan, then the court may authorize the Borough to take possession and control of the property and to develop its own rehabilitation plan for the property.
If no mortgage holder or lienholder meets the conditions of N.J.S.A. 55:19-88, then the Borough may submit a plan to the court which conforms with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 55:19-87. Such plan shall designate whether the Borough or a qualified rehabilitation entity shall undertake the rehabilitation plan in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 55:19- 90.
The Borough of Brooklawn shall file a notice of completion with the court, and shall also serve a copy on the owner and any mortgage holder or lienholder, at such time as the Borough has determined that no more than six months remain to the anticipated date on which rehabilitation will be complete. This notice shall include an affidavit of the Borough Council, attesting that the rehabilitation is anticipated to be completed within six months, and a statement setting forth the actions as it plans to undertake consistent with the plan.
An owner may petition for reinstatement of the owner's control and possession of the property at any time after one year from the court's removal of possession, but no later than 30 days after the Borough of Brooklawn has filed a notice of completion with the court or, in the event the notice of completion is filed within less than one year of the grant of possession, within 30 days after the Borough has filed said notice.
If the owner fails to petition for the reinstatement of control and possession of the property within 30 days after the Borough has filed a notice of completion or, in any event, within two years after the initial grant of possession, or, if the owner fails to meet any conditions that may be set by the court in granting a reinstatement petition, the court may grant the Borough title or authorize the Borough to sell the property, subject to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 55:19-96.
The court may authorize the Borough of Brooklawn to sell the building free and clear of liens, claims and encumbrances, in which event all such liens, claims and encumbrances shall be transferred to the proceeds of sale with the same priority as existed prior to resale in accordance with the provisions of this section, except that municipal liens shall be paid at settlement. The proceeds of the purchase of the property shall be distributed as set forth in N.J.S.A. 55:19-97.