A safe neighborhood is a happy neighborhood – which is why neglected properties should raise an enormous red flag for homeowners. Property neglect leads to dangerous conditions that affect your safety, neighborhood conditions, and property value. To keep your neighborhood safe, read these facts about property neglect and what to do if you notice dangerous conditions near you.
Standing Water and Overgrowth Invites Pests
Common in neglected property, unattended manufactured lakes or pockets of water from the rain bring in standing water. These bodies of water breed infectious diseases that can cause skin rashes, tetanus, and worse. If your dog accidentally takes a sip, it can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses.
Standing water also attracts mosquitoes. The only way to mitigate attracting these West Nile virus-carrying insects is by eliminating standing water. Property owners who neglect their property also neglect the care and wellbeing of their community.
When landscaping is neglected, it welcomes spiders, scorpions, feral animals and coyotes. Creatures like these pose a massive threat to pets. These properties invite pests to find homes in neighboring yards, making it their neighbors’ problems, too.
Unsafe Conditions for Both Children and Pets
It is imperative to teach children about the dangers of neglected land and to stay away. When buildings, landscape, and infrastructure no longer meet the codes and standards to keep the area safe; structural issues can lead to cave-ins, fires, and accidents.
Additionally, a lack of security leads to dangerous people, animals, and pests. Often, people take advantage of these properties by using them for their sports, such as dirt biking or target shooting. Both sports are dangerous and can cause injury, declining air quality, and more. Need help starting a conversation with your children about neglected property? Here is an article to help!
Unsafe Areas Bring in Illegal Activity
Abandoned properties are a magnet for crime. The lack of security and public eye makes it the perfect breeding ground for illicit activity. It is not uncommon for neglected properties to see drug use, gang activity, violence, prostitution, and more.
In one case of an abandoned golf course in Las Vegas, a man was caught aiming a gun down a commonly used tunnel at night on multiple occasions. The abandoned golf course had an incredibly negative impact on the community. Activities like this made neighborhoods unsafe.
Neglected Properties are a Safety Hazard for All
Property owners who fail to maintain their properties force the community to bear the burden of the consequences. Dangerous conditions threaten the community’s safety, invite illegal activity, and eventually devalue the neighborhood’s property value.
If you live in Las Vegas and notice any of the hazards above, there are places to report these dangerous conditions.
You can visit Clark County’s Air Quality Complaints page for air quality reports or off-road vehicle complaints.
If you notice illicit activity, call 911.
Want to make a difference?
Attend HOA meetings in your area to be heard. Tell them if you have noticed neglected properties affecting your neighborhood’s safety.
Living in Las Vegas and want to make a difference? Fill out our survey! Frenchman Ranch is committed to teaming with homeowners to provide them with remarkable resources that will improve their neighborhood. Learn more about what possibilities are in store for Silverstone Ranch at FrenchmanRanch.com.