The Monroe County Vacant Property Resource Hub provides information and services aimed at reducing the number of “zombie” and vacant properties in our community. The website offers resources to four key stakeholder groups: Homeowners; Neighbors; Sellers and Buyers; and Municipalities.
The Monroe County Vacant Property Resource Hub was born out of the previous Monroe County Vacant and Abandoned Property Task Force, brought together by Adam Bello as then County Clerk in April 2016. For five years, the Task Force engaged the public, focused on neighborhoods in need, and sought to educate residents on homeownership, property maintenance, and the impact of vacant properties. The Resource Hub has come to life under the efforts of the Monroe County Vacant Property Advisory Committee, formally created by County Executive Bello in March 2021, to continue to improve the state of vacant properties in communities across the county. Funding to develop and maintain the Resource Hub Special was provided by the City of Rochester through a grant from the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC).
Previously, then County Clerk Adam Bello created the Monroe County Vacant and Abandoned Property Task Force (“Task Force”) based on an idea: How can we best deal with the problems surrounding vacant and abandoned properties? Follow its inception in 2016, the Task Force has tried to connect vacant properties to their owners, hold banks and mortgage servicers accountable for the upkeep and turnover of foreclosed vacant properties, and affect legislation surrounding vacant properties across Monroe County. In 2021, the Advisory Committee was formally created by County Executive Bello to continue the work of the Task Force and further engage a network local government and community leaders and partners to work collaboratively to tackle the negative impacts of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties and develop strategies to return them to productive use.
In addition to being supported by the County, County Executive Adam Bello has appointed representatives from our many partners to contribute to the Advisory Committee, many of whom were previously involved in the Task Force. To learn more about the Advisory Committee Partners, please click here.
There are many reasons why a property becomes vacant, and even more reasons why it stays that way so long. Often, there is a lack of information about who owns the property or, even more often, who has an interest in the property following an owner’s death. Additionally, if there is a mortgage on the property, it could be going through New York State’s foreclosure process, which takes 2.5 years on average.
The Advisory Committee is focused on providing information and resources to homeowners and concerned neighbors, which can be found by exploring this Resource Hub.
This is one of the most asked questions! Although there is not a comprehensive publicly accessible list of vacant properties, there are various resources and methods available to research vacant properties. The City of Rochester uses a program called Building Blocks as a resource for information about known vacant properties within the City limits. The Monroe County Clerk has land record information. Additionally, your local code officials or building department may have information on vacant and abandoned mortgaged properties through the New York State Department of Financial Services registry database.
Our Resources for Neighbors page has information about all of these resources.