SAN ANTONIO — Neighbors on the northwest side say a vacant home is packed with trouble.
Residents contacted KENS 5 saying rodents infested the two-story home, causing the problem to spread to nearby houses. They also say people break in and start fires to keep warm.
The City of San Antonio's Code Enforcement, however, says the house meets their standards.
We're respecting neighbors' wishes to keep the name of the subdivision under wraps. Some who live near the house are trying to sell theirs, and the owner of the vacant home plans to solve the problem.
We still wondered what can be done when an empty home is up to code but it's still causing concerns?
"When you look outside, you can't really see. Everything looks great," said Dorothy Womer, a resident of the neighborhood since 2002.
In a subdivision off Prue Road, an empty two-story house has been the topic of concern for decades.
"I've been fighting this for 21 years," said Womer.
Since the homeowner moved out in 1996, neighbors say the house sat vacant, which made room for unwelcomed guests.
"I'd get up at night hearing something and I'd see flashlights inside the house," said Womer.
Neighbors say trespassers come through the easement behind the back fence and vandalize the windows and walls.
"You have teenagers that go in there. They broke the back doors to the house and they have parties in there," said neighbor Gil Cortez. "18 years of this and it continues."
Others, they say, break in and stay a while.
"The vagrants go in there and during the winter time you'll see fires inside the house that they built to stay warm," Cortez explained.
"Just because they're coming in and out of this house doesn't mean they can't cross the street and go to the next door neighbor's," Womer added. "I don't believe my property should be worth as much as they say it is when I have to put up with a house that should be condemned."
Another problem is rodents that crawl through multiple holes in the house, scurrying to other properties at night.
"I've had I can't tell you how many rats," Womer said. "The minute I pull up my garage door to pull out, a rat gets in."
Cortez, who helped cut the grass at the property for a while, also pointed out a giant hole in the roof where rain trickles in.
"All the carpets have been ruined. All the walls have been ruined. Everything's been molded," said Cortez. "All the sheetrock is off because of the mold."
From the street, you can see windows that were left open and graffiti marking the inside walls. From the back easement behind the property, you can see windows shattered, plywood covering a downstairs door and multiple holes in the structure.
Over the years, neighbors called code compliance, police, the fire department, the homeowner's association and the property owner himself, but say no one has arrived at a permanent solution.
"It just has not worked out for us to get this all resolved," said Cortez.
After KENS 5 brought the concerns to San Antonio's Code Compliance Department Thursday, an enforcement officer went to the home. After an assessment, he concluded that the house meets Code Enforcement standards.
"What's gonna happen here during the wintertime, those boards are gonna come off and these people are gonna come in," said Cortez.
The biggest concern for neighbors, though, are hazards that can't be seen.
"We don't want to be dealing with rabies or anything like that," Cortez explained. "It's a health hazard. There are a lot of children around here."
"It shouldn't just be the foundation or the main structure. It should also be, can animals get in? Can children get in...Is there danger?" said Womer. "It brings up the necessity to have the rules and regulations re-evaluated."
Friday, KENS 5 met the property owner who said he's calling pest control to fix the rodent problem. He said he's also in touch with buyers, as he finally plans to sell.
The neighborhood off Prue Road falls under San Antonio's District 7 city council district.
We asked Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito: If a home is technically in compliance, but neighbors say health hazards still exist, is there anything that can be done?
Alderete Gavito told us, "I encourage residents to contact my office directly, as we always have and always will immediately escalate their concerns to Code Enforcement. If residents are not satisfied with the results of a code inspection, my office will send a team member to assess the property and take additional steps to both escalate the case and advocate on behalf of the resident who reported the issue."