Vacant house faces new lien

EGLESTON SQ.—A vacant house at 25 Chilcott Place is facing a new lien after going to housing court last year.

The owner of the house, Jamaica Plain resident John Darling, has previously been cited by ISD for improper trash storage, overgrown weeds and for failing to secure the property, the charge that took him to court last June.

A lingering charge from that violation led to the latest lien against the property. Darling is being charged $546 to reimburse the City for the costs of securing the property.

“Because we had not heard back from Darling [in the allotted 30 days], the lien was placed March 1,” Inspectional Services Department spokesperson Lisa Timberlake told the Gazette.

According to Timberlake, the property also has an older lien against it. That lien is due to Darling’s failure to properly register his foreclosure proceedings with the city, she said.

A Gazette call to Darling was not returned by press time.

According to a Mission Hill-based Boston Property Services listing, the property is currently for sale for $619,000, but Darling must settle all liens with the City before the property can be transferred to a new owner.

A Gazette call to Darling’s real estate agent, David Hassman, was also not returned.

The property has been on the Problem Properties list late 2011. The list is maintained by the Jamaica Plain Problem Properties Committee—an advisory group of police, ISD and residents that identifies private properties for city inspectors to investigate.

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