Shutting Off The Electricity In Foreclosed Home A Great Way To Create A Mold, Mildew Problem

In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, The Free Lance Star did a story on the foreclosure aftermath homes suffer once they are vacated and abandoned by the former homeowners. Buried in the story is this excerpt, which points to the apparent willingness of some lenders (or their loan servicers) to actually make the situation worse than it already is with foreclosed homes:

• [Home inspector Joel Webber] said in the past, the biggest problem in foreclosure homes was holes in the wall and other signs of homeowners angry about losing the house. But he said that's not the case these days.

• Rather the most common problem, he said, is mildew. Between 25 percent and 50 percent of the foreclosure homes he inspects have mildew, and another 10 percent have mold. In many of those cases, the banks turned off the electricity after reacquiring the houses.

• Rain floods the basement, and the sump pump isn't able to remove the water. There's no air conditioning. Houses are sometimes on the market for months in this condition. That's all a recipe for mold and mildew. Webber questioned why the banks wouldn't take better care of the homes if they're trying to sell them.

For the story, see Vacated homes are foreclosed (Foreclosures often left in bad condition). neighborhood destruction from foreclosures kappa