Guidelines wanted for derelict Saugus homes

SAUGUS – A new bylaw presented at the Affordable Housing Trust Meeting Monday night will put stricter guidelines on owners of abandoned and dilapidated homes in Saugus.Town Meeting and Affordable Housing Trust member Janet Leuci has been working with the Attorney General?s office to repair vacant homes around Saugus, and on Monday she discussed the proposed bylaw in an open forum at the Saugus Library.?Some of you may not think that a small suburban town such as Saugus would have a problem with abandoned and out-of-code properties,” said Leuci. “You may think this is a problem that only plagues larger, urban cities, but we certainly have our share of problem properties in Saugus.”The bylaw would require owners of vacant and dilapidated homes to register their property with Inspectional Services for a fee of $250 for less than one year, $500 for up to two years and $1,000 for two years or more. The bylaw would also require that properties be locked and adequately secured and maintained, and stipulates a $300 per month fine for each month the property is not adequately maintained.?While these fees seem high, when you look at some of these properties, these fees might not be able to address some of the issues, but will help with monitoring the properties,” said attorney and Affordable Housing Trust member Chris Finn. “The purpose of this is for the health and safety of the town.”Leuci presented a slideshow of more than 10 abandoned properties around Saugus, some of which have been vacant for more than 20 years.?From the photos you can see that we have a problem and we need to address that problem,” said Leuci.Leuci said she plans to submit the bylaw to Town Meeting for a vote in May.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].