SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Casselberry has been trying to clean up junk around the city, but WFTV found out code enforcement is having problems forcing one resident to clean up his home.
WFTV found out the man has been living in a house on Hibiscus Road for three years, but he doesn't own it and has not been paying rent.
The city has fined the owner of the home with $550, plus $50 a day after that.
The problem is that no one knows who owns the home.
"I moved in, I paid rent, and then the guy died," said the tenant, Mike Barney.
But even though Barney has lived there three years, he's not the homeowner, so he's not responsible for the fines.
Code enforcement has been cracking down on "junk" homes since April to improve property values.
Barney said he's trying to buy the house. He said he cannot find the original owner's family, who should own the house.
Code enforcement said it can't figure it out either.
Legal experts told WFTV that Barney may be within his rights to stay there until the homeowners start demanding rent.
After a code enforcement officer discovered the trailer last month, he also found out that Barney does not have city water. The code enforcement fine for that is another $25 a day.
"I have taken care of this property. I have done a lot of things to this property," Barney said.
Code enforcement said that's not enough, so the fines will keep racking up until someone pays up.
Barney told WFTV he's working with code enforcement to figure out a way to pay the fines.
WFTV
