Abandoned property at 5237 Baltimore Ave. (Photo by Larissa Mogano)

A losing battle to get an absentee owner to clean up their property on the 5200 block of Baltimore Avenue has left nearby residents desperate for help.

“It stinks, it’s crawling with bugs and rodents and as we recently found out (the hard way) there’s now poison sumac growing there too,” said Cedar Park Cobbs Creek resident Larissa Mogano who lives next door to the abandoned home at 5237 Baltimore. “We’ve had more pests than ever: cats, mice, possums, skunks.”

The property has a long list of violations, according to a Department of Licenses and Inspections search, dating back to 2011. These include housing code violations for garbage and weeds. Most of the earlier violations have been marked “complied.” But a whole new list of violations, some issued as recently as August 4, have not.

Another neighbor, Pamela Gray, who lives in the other half of the brick double structure, spent $500 to replace a fence that was destroyed by a branch from an overgrown mulberry tree in the back yard. This same tree took out another neighbor’s back door awning last year. In the front, the porch roof has a gaping hole that invites squirrels to run around in the rafters at night.

Gray, who has lived in her house since 1972, said she once knew the owners as very nice people who kept the property in great shape. However, since they moved out over seven years ago, the property has fallen into disrepair. When contacted, the owners have repeatedly promised to clean things up, but these promises have remained mostly unfulfilled. Mogano has called Philly311, and posted to several websites including the Cedar Park Neighbors Facebook page, Publicstuff.com and SeeClickFix. Gray has called the Licenses and Inspections department of the City of Philadelphia several times and has contacted her city councilwoman, Jannie Blackwell.

The city has made cracking down on absentee property owners a priority in recent years and Mogano, Gray and others hope 5237 Baltimore will get some more attention soon.

“I just want the homeowners to clean it up so me and the other neighbors can appreciate our own back yards,” said Mogano. “I understand people wanting to hang onto their properties, and I hope they’re able to do that, but it’s disrespectful to the rest of us who live here not to maintain it in the meantime.”

– Selah Lynch