Why is a blighted Inkster property still standing years after owner failed to fix violations?

INKSTER, Mich. (FOX 2) - You might recognize the blighted Inkster property sitting on Michigan Avenue. Fox 2's Problem Solvers have visited it before.

"Prosititutes come here, smoke crack, they have sex," Aimee Valez, a concerned resident said two years ago.

That property, with the red trim, chipped siding and overgrown weeds is still standing. Its presence has neighbors asking themselves, 'Why?' Well, the reason comes down to due process.

"Cities or any government agency cannot just take people's property," said Curt Kropp, the Inkster Building Department administrator.

Part of the issue stems from the owner. Jessie Moner, the mother of former Inkster city council member Lorenzo Moner, is the legal owner of the house. However, she died in 2011. Since then, the property has sat vacant and used for illegal activities.

City officials have served notices regarding the violation. 

"Due to noncompliance, the property was put in front of the condemnation board," said Kropp.

Because the Moner family still hasn't complied by fixing the violations, the city has turned the case over to an attorney and is hoping to acquire the title of the property. A demolition date will depend on how long that case takes to work its way through.