“I want the people who own property on and around Rogers Circle who have these houses that are falling apart to know that they need to clean it up,” Ward 6 Alderman Andre’ Spiller said Tuesday night at the Board’s regular meeting.

“If they don’t, we’re going to send out letters warning them that their property may be condemned.”

A house is considered condemned if the local government body deems it unsafe to live in. The property has code violations and living in it is prohibited.

When authorities condemn a house, it is sealed and warning signs are placed on it. Condemned houses may then be torn down on the government’s authority and the property owner on the hook for the costs.

In Mississippi, a house can be condemned for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: abandonment for more than 180 days; unsanitary conditions like infestations or black mold; specific physical hazards; structural damage from storms, water or fire; insufficient utilities; it has been used as a place for manufacturing or storing drugs, illegal weapons, or other illegal activity.

“These property owners need to know that if they don’t take care of the problems, we will,” Spiller said.