WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A Long Island man received quite a shock after returning home from a long medical recuperation, only to find his house had been demolished.
As CBS2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported, it was a disturbing homecoming for Phil Williams, who had just returned home after recovering from knee surgery.
“Wait a second, maybe I’m not on the right street,” he said.
Then, the shocking realization that the empty lot he was in front of is where his house once stood.
“Everything I have, or had, is gone,” Williams said.
The house was demolished as part of an ongoing effort in the Town of Hempstead to clean up the scourge of “zombie” houses, Gusoff reported.
The problem, according to Williams’ attorney, is that the West Hempstead home was not abandoned.
“They went too far. This house should not have been demolished, and they went too fast,” said attorney Bradley Siegel.
Town officials claim they “followed all proper procedures,” notifying Williams with repeated registered letters beginning last October.
Deemed a danger, they tore down the house in May.
All the while, Williams said he was hospitalized and recuperating from knee surgery in Florida, and not receiving his mail.
“Someone could have called me. Someone could have notified me and said ‘Hey listen, here is what’s going on,'” said Williams.
The 69-year-old veteran’s furniture, collections, jewelry — all gone, Gusoff reported.
The town, however, tells a very different story, claiming the house was a hazard. Neighbors said they’ve complained for years.
“The house was abandoned. That’s the way it looked,” said one woman
“Windows broken, leaks all over, lots of trash,” said another neighbor.
But Williams denied it was that bad.
Towns everywhere are grappling with the foreclosure crisis and the process to demolish can take years.
“He was paying his mortgage. There was no foreclosure. This was not a zombie house,” said Siegel.
Williams is now suing the town. He wants to know what happened to all his possessions. In the meantime, he considers himself homeless.
The Town of Hempstead said it held a public hearing on the fate of the house in February. Williams said he never got that notice either.
The only thing I care about in the story is that he was paying the mortgage. He owned the property. The City could fine him, sue him, blah blah him, but they didn't have the right to tear down his house.
The only thing I care about in the story is that he was paying the mortgage. He owned the property. The City could fine him, sue him, blah blah him, but they didn't have the right to tear down his house.
Yeah I'm kind of here.
I lean on the side of the town that the property might not have been in the best condition, especially since they began notifying him a year ago and he never got the letters. But he was paying his mortgage and I feel like that requires more diligence and leg work. I mean, this guy has been paying a mortgage since May for a house he doesn't have anymore. Even if the conditions were bad, a structure (usually) has more value than just an empty plot of land.
Or maybe the house was in a decrepit and this is some elaborate ploy for him to get money from the town because he couldn't afford repairs and demolishing it would be easier/cheaper than fixing it.
I wonder how long this guy was gone from his home. I can't even imagine coming home and it's just gone! When I worked at the VA, there were quite a few patients that had no one or were estranged from family. But I do wonder what happened with his mail. Was it forwarded and he never received it? Is it on hold at the post office?
Can you have your mail forwarded to a hospital or rehab facility?
He was in FL for his knee surgery and rehab. He must have been staying with someone since he wasn't home for over a year. So what happened to his mail if he didn't get it forwarded?
The bank who holds the mortgage would have been notified that their first lien on that property was removed since the town demolished the home. That bank would have raised hell because that is their collateral. We are not hearing the whole story here.
Can you have your mail forwarded to a hospital or rehab facility?
He was in FL for his knee surgery and rehab. He must have been staying with someone since he wasn't home for over a year. So what happened to his mail if he didn't get it forwarded?
The story says "a long hospital stay" -- I assumed he was in a medical facility the whole time, not with friends or relatives.
Also, how was he paying his utility bills that whole time if he wasn't getting any mail? And didn't he notice when the utility bills stopped coming for six months?
Also, how was he paying his utility bills that whole time if he wasn't getting any mail? And didn't he notice when the utility bills stopped coming for six months?
Electronic bill pay. I no longer receive paper bills for my utilities.
Also, how was he paying his utility bills that whole time if he wasn't getting any mail? And didn't he notice when the utility bills stopped coming for six months?
Well, to be fair, I pay most of my utility bills online. The only bill I get in the mail and pay via check is the water/sewer bill and that's because our village is tiny and doesn't have online payment.
But I agree there's more than what we're getting here.
The only thing I care about in the story is that he was paying the mortgage. He owned the property. The City could fine him, sue him, blah blah him, but they didn't have the right to tear down his house.
ITA. I want to know why he wasn't receiving his mail though. If he didn't forward it, there would be a huge pile of mail somewhere. Most retirees have someone at least check their house while they are south for the winter. I wonder when was the last time he was actually there. There seems to be a disconnect between what the neighbors say the house looked like and what the owner says.
When I was gone from my apartment while sick, I did make arrangements to forward my mail to where I was. However, a LOT of my mail went elsewhere and the only way I knew was because I hadn't received an electric bill (I had paid ahead, so this wasn't an issue). Forwarding mail really is sketchy at best and you need a Plan B. Mine was a combo of online payments (when I could deal with my computer), and trying to pay a few months ahead so the account wouldn't go into arrears.
However, the one thing that gets me is that if the city HAD sent him notices that they were going to destroy his house, wouldn't you think that they'd send it registered mail, return receipt? Is this sort of mail forwarded? Did anyone sign these? Did the letters bounce back since no one could sign for them?
ITA. I want to know why he wasn't receiving his mail though. If he didn't forward it, there would be a huge pile of mail somewhere. Most retirees have someone at least check their house while they are south for the winter. I wonder when was the last time he was actually there. There seems to be a disconnect between what the neighbors say the house looked like and what the owner says.
When I was gone from my apartment while sick, I did make arrangements to forward my mail to where I was. However, a LOT of my mail went elsewhere and the only way I knew was because I hadn't received an electric bill (I had paid ahead, so this wasn't an issue). Forwarding mail really is sketchy at best and you need a Plan B.
However, the one thing that gets me is that if the city HAD sent him notices that they were going to destroy his house, wouldn't you think that they'd send it registered mail, return receipt? Is this sort of mail forwarded? Did anyone sign these? Did the letters bounce back since no one could sign for them?
They DID send it via registered mail (or so they say). It's unclear whether they had anything else added (signature required, etc.).
So there should be some form of proof of delivery.
ITA. I want to know why he wasn't receiving his mail though. If he didn't forward it, there would be a huge pile of mail somewhere. Most retirees have someone at least check their house while they are south for the winter. I wonder when was the last time he was actually there. There seems to be a disconnect between what the neighbors say the house looked like and what the owner says.
When I was gone from my apartment while sick, I did make arrangements to forward my mail to where I was. However, a LOT of my mail went elsewhere and the only way I knew was because I hadn't received an electric bill (I had paid ahead, so this wasn't an issue). Forwarding mail really is sketchy at best and you need a Plan B. Mine was a combo of online payments (when I could deal with my computer), and trying to pay a few months ahead so the account wouldn't go into arrears.
However, the one thing that gets me is that if the city HAD sent him notices that they were going to destroy his house, wouldn't you think that they'd send it registered mail, return receipt? Is this sort of mail forwarded? Did anyone sign these? Did the letters bounce back since no one could sign for them?
Right. This is what I'm stuck at. At the very least when you send the final notice you send it FedEx or something where they have to sign it at the door.
Here's another question I have - is it possible for a vacant house to fall into that state of disrepair (as cited by neighbors) in 10 months? Or was this a problem long before dude had his surgery?
Also, how was he paying his utility bills that whole time if he wasn't getting any mail? And didn't he notice when the utility bills stopped coming for six months?
mine are all automatic. I get no paper, it goes on my amex, and then my amex gets auto-paid by my checking account. I could go a year and have no idea what I'm paying for my utilities, lol.
Also, how was he paying his utility bills that whole time if he wasn't getting any mail? And didn't he notice when the utility bills stopped coming for six months?
Electronic bill pay. I no longer receive paper bills for my utilities.
Yes, but shouldn't he have noticed when the water, electricity, etc. were all shut off at his property?
Surely if you're going to be gone for 10 months, you have SOMEONE check on your house once in a while? To make sure there wasn't a break-in, or damage, or it didn't burn down?
Wasn't anyone supposed to mow the lawn from April until he returned in October? Was his mail just being held at the post office for 10 months?
The only thing I care about in the story is that he was paying the mortgage. He owned the property. The City could fine him, sue him, blah blah him, but they didn't have the right to tear down his house.
ITA. I want to know why he wasn't receiving his mail though. If he didn't forward it, there would be a huge pile of mail somewhere. Most retirees have someone at least check their house while they are south for the winter. I wonder when was the last time he was actually there. There seems to be a disconnect between what the neighbors say the house looked like and what the owner says.
(@choco you know what I do for a living...anyone else can DM me if they want)
I see this all the time. In cases where the house is dilapidated, the owner is typically in denial. When the house isn't dilapidated, it's usually a neighbor dispute.
Depending on the local ordinances, they absolutely could have had the right to tear down the house as long as the proper parties were notified. I do wonder if any of the neighbors knew where he was and they simply chose not to disclose that information. If the town didn't have a valid address for the owner outside of the house itself, I'm guessing they had to advertise throughout the process and got service through advertisement. It doesn't matter if the guy was paying the mortgage-if it was in violation of local ordinances and the bank didn't respond to the notices, then yes, demolition can happen.
I didn't see anything in the article saying that the utilities were shut off. Did I miss it?
The house was torn down in May, so he should have noticed extra money in his bank account from May until October, when he showed up and discovered his house wasn't there anymore.
Extra money from what? He continues to pay his mortgage.
My question is how the county would know who the lien holder is? If there isn't an escrow...