Warren's new housing court is in session

Town appoints temporary receiver to address two problem properties

By Ted Hayes
Posted 4/17/18

Warren’s new Housing Court has taken its first action since being formed, with the judge agreeing last week to a request by the town to place two dilapidated homes into …

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Warren's new housing court is in session

Town appoints temporary receiver to address two problem properties

Posted

Warren’s new Housing Court has taken its first action since being formed, with the judge agreeing last week to a request by the town to place two dilapidated homes into receivership.

Judge Stephen Sypole ruled in the court’s first session last Wednesday, April 11, that the town can appoint a temporary receiver in hopes of getting properties at 24 Parker Ave. and 12 Coomer Ave. cleaned up. Warren Building Official Tony Carvalho said the town has been working for “years” to get their owners to clean them up, to no avail. Both are littered with debris and have been the focus of previous unsuccessful enforcement actions by the town. But he said he is optimistic that the court’s action will finally yield real results.

“It’s fantastic because now something can actually get done,” Mr. Carvalho said. “The municipal court system wasn’t very effective.”

Warren Town Solicitor Anthony DeSisto said Monday that with Judge Sypole’s decision last week, the town will work with Providence attorney John Dorsey, who has worked as a receiver for other municipalities across the state. Mr. DeSisto said receivership as a tool is a big step for the town and will allow officials to compel property owners to take care of their property.

“Oftentimes in these situations the difficulty is how do you get compliance” with local orders to clean up a dilapidated property?”

“When a property enters into receivership, the receiver gets to take control of that property essentially (and) at that point (the town) has equitable actions they can take. The violations can be corrected and the property can be liened. It’s a big advantage for the town.”

Both homes against which actions were taken last week have been a thorn in the town’s side for years.

The Parker Avenue home was formerly owned by Clarence E. and Barbara J. Davis, though Mr. Davis passed away last year and his wife is in a neighborhood. Neighbors had complained for years that the Davises were keeping a nuisance, pointing to (at one point) close to a dozen junked cars on the property, as well as large volumes of trash and junk. Though Warren had tried for close to 20 years to compel the Davises to clean up the property, officials had little success.

The case is similar with the home at 12 Coomer Ave., which is currently owned by the Federal National Mortgage Association. Mr. DeSisto said Warren officials had little luck asking bank officials to take charge of the property after it foreclosed on it three years ago. That changed after last week’s court hearing, he said, after town officials notified the bank of Judge Sypole’s ruling.

“We weren’t getting compliance,” Mr. DeSisto said. “Now that the receiver is involved … we have heard from them.”

Mr. Carvalho said he is happy with the results of last week’s inaugural court session, and said he is looking forward to the town moving ahead with court action against the owners of other troubled properties in town.

“There’s about a dozen other cases that are still waiting to be heard,” he said. It’d like to put them all on the next docket.”

The court’s next session is scheduled for Wednesday, May 9.

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