When I went to get some repair work done, the person I was consulting advised fixing the structural issues and then putting the same ancient dilapidated siding back on the building. The rational? Property taxes.
Last summer, we joked about how much the nice flowers my mother had on their porch raised their taxes. They shouldn’t actually have increased the taxes- potted plants are considered temporary, and temporary landscaping isn’t supposed to increase property taxes.
If I have to pay increased taxes for having the audacity to make things look less like they’re falling down… well, I’m going to consult my budget before I make the decision.
Property taxes incentivize decreased investment in infrastructure. In urban settings, the frequent complaint is that it contributes to ‘urban blight’ (which is a fancy word for when folks stop doing maintenance and everything looks cruddy).
The county’s community decay ordinance is aimed at keeping things looking nice. But there isn’t much to be done to stop people deferring maintenance in order to avoid losing their homes to taxes, other than addressing the taxes that cause the problem. And for the folks that do make the repairs- well, there’s a strong incentive against having things look decent when the repair is done.
Inherit a dilapidated old building- well, do you really want to pay the taxes associated with cleaning it up? It’s easier to just let things keep falling apart. Easier and cheaper.
When things look run down, don’t just blame the residents. Blame the government.
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