NORFOLK, Va. — Each day Vanessa Fields walks out of her house and looks in frustration at the condition of the house next-door.
"It is deplorable," Fields told News 3 recently in an interview after she contacted a reporter to air out her frustrations.
Her home off of Manson Street in the Campostella area is right next to the home, which has holes in the roof, walls boarded up, and wrap in the place of siding.
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"I am extremely frustrated. It's horrible to think that you can come out of your door and depending on what the weather is whether or not you're going to have debris," she said.
On a windy day, Fields says the home becomes a hazard with debris flying off the roof.
"The debris that hit me was a small piece of wood. It took me by surprise. It didn't really hurt me. It just scraped the side of my face," she said.
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Why is it like this? The owner acknowledges the issues, but says the house to the right of his is really close, which is preventing him from being able to fix his house up.
He purchased the property in 2022, but says because the house to the right of him is considered encroaching on his property, he was told he has to address that issue before permits would be approved to fix up the house.
He says it took time to negotiate with the other owner, but now there is an agreement in place to demolish the other house.
They're waiting on the permit to be approved, but the owner is hopeful it could all happen within a few weeks.
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Once that's done, he plans to fix up the home.
For Fields, it can't come soon enough. "Everybody's getting involved. Nothing's getting done," she said.
The city of Norfolk initially said they were aware of the home, but couldn't comment due to potential legal issues involving the home.
They later followed up and said due to the house that sits partially on the property that "has impacted the ability to repair the building and meet all necessary zoning and building permit requirements."
Fields hopes something changes soon. "I want to see the house get to the point that it is no longer a hazard," she said.
