Across Pennsylvania, there are currently hundreds of thousands of blighted or abandoned properties, which drive down home values and impede community development. As countless residents have learned, it can be challenging to effectively address these neighborhood nuisances.

However, many times, issues with blighted or abandoned properties could be solved with a civil conversation between neighbors or property owners. Unfortunately, individuals often struggle to reach or even identify the person responsible for these properties’ maintenance.

To empower community members to locate owners and begin this dialogue, we will be introducing legislation that would require individuals and businesses to submit basic information to counties when purchasing a property, such as their name, address, telephone number, and email address. This information would be made available online, providing individuals with the ability to contact the person responsible for a property if issues arise.

Please join us in this important yet simple effort to help residents address blighted or abandoned properties in Pennsylvania.