Neighbours of a Vancouver home say they’ve had enough of the unkempt eyesore on their block.
The home on Marine Crescent is assessed at more than $7 million, but despite the value of the property, neighbours say no one has been taking care of it. The front lawn is covered with overgrown weeds and windows have been boarded up.
Someone voiced their frustration by posting a sign outside the property that reads: “DISGRACEFUL MAINTENANCE. This owner has no respect for his neighbours and even less for the neighbourhood.”
According to neighbours, at one time there were squatters and looters inside. One neighbour called the city a year ago because of an overgrown bush in the front of the property.
“They responded fairly quickly,” neighbour Judy Watson said. “They sent a car by, they had a look, within the next week the hedge was cut back,” she said. “I don’t know who’s maintaining it now.”
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It turns out another neighbour is maintaining it. Fed up with the front yard, he’s trimmed the hedge, mowed the lawn along the boulevard and even re-turfed it.
A property search shows the Marine Crescent home was last sold in December 2015 for $6.8 million. The owner listed an address just a few blocks away. That home is on the market and no one answered when Global News stopped by the property and knocked on the door.
“The yard is so overgrown, I don’t know what’s living in there,” Watson said. “It’s a fire hazard, it’s just a hazard.”
In a statement, the City of Vancouver said:
“This property is subject to ongoing review by the city, and has a long history of enforcement action.
“The city most recently issued an untidy premises order in July 2019. The city is aware of the impacts of this property on the neighbourhood and is seeking to bring the matter to a resolution.”
One neighbour says this is the second time someone put up a sign on the property. The first one was quickly taken down with apparently no real change.
Time will tell if the second sign will make a difference.
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