Northside neighbors plead with city for help with overgrown abandoned house

HOUSTON – A Northside neighborhood said an abandoned home has become more than an eyesore, it’s affecting their quality of life.

The house located in the 800 block of Bolling Lane can’t even be seen from the road due to overgrown trees, vines and tall weeds.

Neighbors say the former elderly homeowner maintained the yard, until two years ago.

“He always had his little riding mower. He couldn’t always keep up with the maintenance on the house, but he always kept the yard mowed so we knew as soon as it started getting overgrown that something must have happened to him,” said Terri Galik, whose home shares a backyard fenceline with the property.

“At night, the mosquitos are so bad because you got the jungle next door,” she said.

Other vermin are also causing problems.

“Rats! Rats as big as cats,” she said.

Terri says her husband uses poison and traps to kill some but also uses another method.

“My husband actually sits outside with his pellet gun looking like elmer fudd hunting for rabbits and killing rats because they’re that bad. We kill two to four a night,” she said.

She says the city of Houston has provided no help.

“They haven’t said much of anything, they just say, ‘we’ll take your report,’ And that’s it and then it’s been over a year two years. It’s really affected us because we’re not able to get out and enjoy our own life here at home and we’re not able to work in the yard and do things we want to do. We’d like to see something done so we can enjoy our property, as well,” she said.

After several inquiries by KPRC 2 News, a spokesperson for the city’s department of neighborhoods now says an “abatement” plan to clean up the property is being expedited and work should be completed by Wednesday.

A spokesperson sent the following statement:

“The Department of Neighborhoods completed an inspection of the property at Bolling Lane on 7/11/22. The property was found to be noncompliant with city codes due to high weeds. The owner on record was sent a notice of code violations. A checkback inspection was completed on 7/30/22, and the property was found to be non-compliant. Because the property owner on record is an estate, no citations were issued. The property was referred for abatement, and a survey was conducted on 8/1/22. The abatement is being expedited.”