As of January 1, cities and towns in N.H. have new teeth to keep landlords from letting their property get messy or run down. On Tuesday, the city of Somersworth put this new authority to use.
Although Somersworth has spent the last year giving itself a makeover by redeveloping much of its downtown, authorities have had a hard time getting some landlords to maintain their properties. It's a problem a lot of communities face.
Stephen Buckley with the NH Municipal Association says without the ordinance now in effect in Somersworth, "you have to go to court and prove these things are wrong and you have the potential for harm."
With its new ordinance, Somersworth can ticket zoning violations with the same ease it issues parking tickets.