FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A Fort Bend County neighborhood is growing increasingly frustrated over an abandoned home that residents say has been neglected for years, creating health, safety and quality-of-life concerns for those living nearby.
So they contacted 2 Helps You.
The property, located at 10002 Town Brooke Lane, has become a source of ongoing complaints from neighbors who say they have repeatedly contacted authorities and their homeowners association without seeing meaningful action.
Resident Lita Montes says she has reached a breaking point.
“I want the house condemned. Bulldoze it, whatever. I can’t keep living like this,” Montes said.
Neighbor Adan Alvarado agrees.
“This is the ugliest house on this whole street,” Alvarado said.
He says the home’s condition has become so notorious in the neighborhood that he has given it a nickname.
“I call it the crack house,” he said.
According to Alvarado, residents have spent years trying to get help from various agencies.
When asked by 2 Helps You how many times he has contacted officials and the county about the neighborhood eyesore, Alvarado said, “Over 30 times.”
Montes says she feels ignored despite years of complaints.
“I want something done about it. I’m tired of looking at it, and no one is hearing me,” she said.
A review of county records found that property taxes on the home continue to be paid, despite neighbors saying no one has lived there for years. Legal records obtained from the county also show the homeowners association obtained a default judgment in its favor in a civil case involving the property approximately three years ago.
Montes says the home’s condition has remained largely unchanged for well over a decade.
“They haven’t done anything about the house. It’s been that way for many years,” Montes said. “If I had to guess, at least 15 years. Since about 2011, it’s looked like that. And they want me to pay a high-ass property tax and a $500 maintenance fee to look at that.”
Efforts to gather more information about the property led us to Fort Bend County Environmental Health, which indicated that, after we contacted the agency, an investigator would be assigned to look into the matter. County records show an illegal dumping complaint was filed at the property in 2020, but neighbors say little has been done despite repeated complaints.
Residents also worry about the impact the home is having on surrounding property values.
“Right now, no one is going to buy a house that is right next to this,” Alvarado said.
For Alvarado, moving away is not a realistic option, leaving him to deal with what he describes as ongoing problems tied to the abandoned property.
“Dogs, cats, possums, snakes, rats, squirrels, all kinds of insects, bees, wasps. The window in the front is broken, so there are always a bunch of cats going in there. It smells like urine when you get close to it,” Alvarado said.
Montes, who uses supplemental oxygen, says the property’s condition is affecting her quality of life. She believes addressing the problem would bring immediate relief.
“I probably wouldn’t have rats anymore, and that is a good thing,” Montes said.
Neighbors say they remain hopeful that 2 Helps You shining a spotlight on the neglected property — and staying on top of the issue with the county — will finally lead to action on the longstanding eyesore and source of frustration for the community.
If you have a problem you need help with, contact the 2 Helps You Help Desk.