The Zombies Initiative's goal is to hold mortgage servicers accountable and find solutions to the blight of vacant and abandoned houses in our community. A zombie home is defined as a vacant and abandoned home with a delinquent mortgage.
When our team receives complaints from the community, we research the property to find out if there is a delinquent mortgage and to identify the responsible parties. If there is a mortgage, we file a complaint with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) who relays concerns directly to the mortgage servicer. We continue to follow up with DFS and the mortgage servicer to ensure that the property is brought into compliance. While we receive and respond to hundreds of complaints about vacant properties across Erie County, we have chosen to maintain a list of priority properties to better focus our efforts.
The ZOMBIES Initiative acts as a tool and resource for community members and municipalities. We do not make policies or legal decisions regarding Zombie homes. Our goal is to help facilitate solutions to blight, and this work is not possible without the cooperation and participation of the community, local officials and municipalities.
