Imagine that you live in St Paul, MN and you have lost your job, making for tight financial circumstances. Let’s imagine that you fall behind on your gas bill . . . it’s now summer and the gas bill becomes less important to you so it gets 60-90 days behind, until you finally receive notice that it will be shut off. Guess who else receives notice: the City of St Paul.

Why is that important? The city views a dwelling without gas or electric as unfit for human habitation and will condemn any property that does not have active utilities. It gets worse: in order to avoid this condemnation, you must pay the bill(s), but also become subject to current building code standards as though your house is new construction. This makes you subject to thousands and thousands of dollars in repairs on top of the back due utilities. If you don’t or can’t comply, the City orders demolition and sends you the bill. Nice, huh?

Currently there are dozens of home owners in this exact dilemma in St Paul as I write this. It has already happened to many home owners since this practice began. It is unconscionable!

Since when is any non-paid utility to a house reason to condemn the property? It has always been handled as a lien against the property by court order against the home owner in the form of a Judgment. Sure, habitation of the home can be part of the Judgment order, but why does St Paul go to such lengths as to steal the home and raze it, and then bill the condemned home owner? Doesn’t that seem a bit cruel?

Not only is it cruel, it doesn’t seem to be in the best financial interest of St Paul in the short or long term to do this. The more basic question is whether or not the City has the legal basis for such actions; or, to what level they can take action? It is certainly debatable whether or not the City can require a building to be brought up to current new construction code that is up to the code from when it was built.

We will keep this case monitored and keep you informed.