Neighbor’s dilapidated barn costs woman her homeowner’s insurance

An Englishtown woman says that she lost her homeowner’s insurance due to her neighbor’s dilapidated barn and she is now demanding the barn be torn down

News 12 Staff

Mar 29, 2019, 12:45 AM

Updated 1,863 days ago

Share:

Neighbor’s dilapidated barn costs woman her homeowner’s insurance
An Englishtown woman says that she lost her homeowner’s insurance due to her neighbor’s dilapidated barn and she is now demanding the barn be torn down.
“You’re starting to see the building actually collapse,” says Patricia Kelich.
Kelich says that the barn sits just three feet from her property line and that the conditions have been steadily deteriorating.
“Something's really got to be done. We need a date when this is coming down,” she says.
Kelich says that she moved into her home 20 years ago with her late husband. She says that the barn was always deteriorating, but says that four years ago it started to cost her. She says that her insurance company canceled her homeowner’s policy in December 2014, saying that the barn was “a liability hazard due to its state of disrepair.”
“At that point, the town should have stepped up, took accountability and worked this out with [the owners,]” Kelich says.
The town ordered the property owner to demolish the barn in November 2014. The one-time owner owed thousands in back taxes, which led to a tax lien and sale. A new owner bought the property and has taken out a demolition permit.
But Kelich says that she worries it'll be easier for the new owner to flip the property and move on, leaving the barn looming and decaying, right next to her house.
“What are we talking about? We’re talking about another 4, 6, 8 months? A year? And in the meantime, my homeowner’s insurance is three times the amount that it should be. This barn should have been condemned. It should have been taken down. It should have been removed,” Kelich says.
The Englishtown municipal clerk tells News 12 New Jersey that to complicate matters, the town is in litigation due to a squatter’s rights issue on the property.
A representative for the Union County-based holding company that now owns the barn property declined to comment.


More from News 12
2:32
Summer Safety Initiative: Overnight youth curfew in effect for the city of Newark

Summer Safety Initiative: Overnight youth curfew in effect for the city of Newark

1:59
Mostly cloudy Saturday in New Jersey; widespread showers on Sunday

Mostly cloudy Saturday in New Jersey; widespread showers on Sunday

1:46
Officials: Man killed in house explosion in South River identified as retired Newark officer

Officials: Man killed in house explosion in South River identified as retired Newark officer

0:42
NJ lawmakers criticize how Rutgers officials negotiated with pro-Palestinian protesters

NJ lawmakers criticize how Rutgers officials negotiated with pro-Palestinian protesters

0:28
Special election to be held to fill late Rep. Donald Payne’s seat in Congress

Special election to be held to fill late Rep. Donald Payne’s seat in Congress

0:27
Prosecutor: 2 people seriously injured in 3-car crash; driver charged with drunk driving

Prosecutor: 2 people seriously injured in 3-car crash; driver charged with drunk driving

0:42
Jersey Proud: Army ROTC students from Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton train together

Jersey Proud: Army ROTC students from Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton train together

0:30
Police: New York man pointed knife at pro-Palestinian protester in Teaneck

Police: New York man pointed knife at pro-Palestinian protester in Teaneck

0:27
Officials: Paterson man threatened to ‘shoot up’ JFK Int’l Airport

Officials: Paterson man threatened to ‘shoot up’ JFK Int’l Airport

2:02
Authorities: Major fire displaces 20 people from 9 families in Elizabeth

Authorities: Major fire displaces 20 people from 9 families in Elizabeth

1:04
Hillsborough school officials vote to end middle school sports, make staff cuts amid budget cuts

Hillsborough school officials vote to end middle school sports, make staff cuts amid budget cuts

0:49
Bridgewater-Raritan School District waives fees to participate in clubs, sports

Bridgewater-Raritan School District waives fees to participate in clubs, sports

0:39
Officials: 3 pedestrians, including 2 children, struck by NYC-based news van in Elizabeth

Officials: 3 pedestrians, including 2 children, struck by NYC-based news van in Elizabeth

0:28
GoFundMe started for 6-month-old boy and his grandfather killed by fallen tree in Verona

GoFundMe started for 6-month-old boy and his grandfather killed by fallen tree in Verona

0:40
Main Street New Jersey: Restaurants, businesses to visit in Edgewater

Main Street New Jersey: Restaurants, businesses to visit in Edgewater

3:21
Bridge over section of I-95 in process of being demolished due to damage from truck fire

Bridge over section of I-95 in process of being demolished due to damage from truck fire

1:12
Several house fires break out Thursday in New Jersey; 1 man dead

Several house fires break out Thursday in New Jersey; 1 man dead

0:18
South Brunswick police searching for missing man last seen on Route 1

South Brunswick police searching for missing man last seen on Route 1

0:23
South Orange woman indicted for stealing over $1 million federal benefits intended for dead aunt

South Orange woman indicted for stealing over $1 million federal benefits intended for dead aunt

1:26
Look up! Annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks early Sunday morning

Look up! Annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks early Sunday morning