Name who may act
Confirm who can approve access, repairs, bills, insurance, and a future transaction.
For neglected or long-empty Bexar County houses
An abandoned house feels overwhelming. Start with four controls.
Confirm who may act, protect people, arrange reliable checkups, and put a real cost and date on the decision.
Free No account or contact information Private on this device
Who made this site?
Bexar County Home Buyers, a private home-buying company. The tools are free and do not send us your answers. Discussing a possible purchase is a separate choice.
Start here
Which situation sounds most like yours?
You do not need to know the professional term. Choose the closest statement.
The basics
Do the right work in a clear order.
Handle danger first
Do not enter after fire, flood, collapse, contamination, open wiring, or unauthorized entry.
Choose a local checker
Give one trusted person a written list, photo angles, schedule, and backup contact.
Tell the insurer the truth
Describe vacancy, condition, safeguards, and visits exactly; ask for written coverage information.
Count the cost of waiting
Include taxes, insurance, services, yard, security, travel, notices, and new damage.
Set a decision date
Compare keeping, repair, and current-condition sale using the same facts.
Free tool
Build a plan to regain control.
You do not need to decide the future today. Start with authority, safety, checkups, and costs.
Next steps
One thing at a time.
What to do
- Call 911 for immediate danger; do not make unsafe entry.
- Confirm who may make decisions and who has keys.
- Save every notice and arrange current photos safely.
What to do
- Contact the insurer and check taxes, utilities, mortgage, and code cases.
- Create a regular inside-and-outside review list.
- List urgent stabilization separately from improvements.
What to do
- Add 12 months of carrying costs.
- Obtain comparable written repair scopes.
- Choose a dated keep, repair, or sale review.
Official sources
Go to the agency responsible.
Rules and accounts change. These links open the official source.
Safety comes first.
Call 911 for fire, active crime, a gas smell, medical danger, collapse risk, or an immediate threat to life. Do not confront occupants or enter a damaged, flooded, contaminated, fire-damaged, electrically unsafe, or unsecured structure.
Common questions
Clear answers to get started.
Confirm dates, rights, and requirements with the responsible agency or qualified professional.
What does abandoned mean?
It is an everyday description, not one legal status. Ownership, occupancy, insurance, code, and probate facts still must be checked.
Can I enter if I am family?
Family relationship does not automatically prove access or decision authority. Do not enter an unsafe structure or confront occupants.
Should utilities be turned off?
It depends on safety, plumbing, weather, alarms, insurance, and qualified advice. Do not make a blanket decision.
Does cleanup close a code case?
Not necessarily. The agency may require permits, proof, inspection, or written closure.
How do I decide whether to repair?
Use written condition facts, comparable scopes, 12 months of costs, available money, and a stop date—not hope alone.
Next step
Give every risk an owner, proof, and a date.
Use the free tool first. If you later want to discuss selling the property in its current condition, that conversation is optional and separate.