Junk, vermin left in foreclosed house

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) - Jake Zaagman said his Wyoming home was invaded by cockroaches coming from the house next door and he put rodent traps in his own garage because there were so many mice.

"It's terrible," he told Target 8 investigators. "They got garbage piled all over."

His daughter, Marybeth Knapp, said, "There was a rat in the driveway, and 212 mice in the traps. All coming from this house."

"This house" is an abandoned structure at 1256 Joosten. Neighbors said the renters moved out last week. Over this past weekend, a neighbor entered through an open door and took photos of the junk and vermin strewn throughout the house.

It was enough to convince Wyoming city inspectors.

"We did receive notice last week Thursday one of our staff has actually walked through the property already," said Director of Community Services Rebecca Rynbrandt. "It has been posted for no occupancy, abandoned structure in our terminology."

But the neighbors wanted more than that and went to City Hall Monday.

Within 30 minutes, a city inspector dressed in a hazard suit was going inside to check for himself.

Since January 2011, the house has been owned by US Bank, which took it over in a foreclosure. The family renting the property suddenly moved out last week.

Target 8 investigators obtained inspection reports on the house. In the past couple of years, they ordered the outdoor cleanup of debris including litter, garbarge, couches and a rug. One time they responded to a complaint about the tenant operaging a second-hand business from the house, and another time over the house being used as storage for a flea market.

There was also a complaint about a dead rat in the dining room and an awful smell. Despite the dirt, the inspector found no rats, dead or alive.

The city will board up the house until it's either cleaned by the bank or the subcontractor, the inspector told Target 8.

A cleanup crew working for the bank also showed up Monday after being called by the city. But they said a worker told them it would take 2-4 weeks and some court action before they can clean up the mess.