Finding Abandoned Houses and Uncovering Their Ownership History

People search for abandoned homes for various reasons, depending on their needs or goals. Many look for abandoned houses as a source of affordable housing. Others see abandoned homes as investment opportunities, seeking to acquire properties at deeply discounted prices for rental purposes or flipping.

Community groups sometimes target abandoned homes to revitalize neighborhoods and improve safety. Additionally, some people simply enjoy exploring abandoned houses for their history or for photography. Whether you are searching for abandoned homes for personal use, investment, or exploration, you need to know how to find them.

Abandoned vs. Vacant vs. Unoccupied  

The labels abandoned, vacant, and unoccupied affect home prices and potential risks. Although they sound similar, these terms have different meanings in real estate, and each label prompts different neighborhood responses and triggers various government records.

Abandoned Homes

Abandoned homes are residential properties that owners no longer maintain or use. In most cases, owners have given up on these houses and stopped paying mortgages or taxes. You can often identify abandoned houses by piled-up mail, broken windows, overgrown yards, shut-off utilities, or sealed doors. In some cases, you may find tax delinquency or foreclosure notices on the buildings. However, a house is not considered legally abandoned, even if it appears neglected, as long as the owner continues to pay property taxes.

Abandoned homes can become havens for crime. As a result, neighbors often push for cleanup because no one claims responsibility for crimes committed in such houses. In some instances, local governments may foreclose on, auction, or place liens on abandoned homes. Real estate investors sometimes acquire abandoned homes through tax sales or auctions because they are usually inexpensive. Many cities register and track abandoned houses to ensure public safety and to plan for community development.

Vacant Homes

These are homes whose owners still maintain them but are not inhabited by anyone. Unlike abandoned houses, vacancy is usually temporary, lasting a few weeks, months, or up to a year. A home is not considered abandoned as long as the owner still pays attention to it. You can tell a house is vacant if there are no residents or furniture inside. While uninhabited, vacant homes are usually well maintained, with active utilities and trimmed yards. In some cases, you may even find “for rent” or “for sale” signs on such buildings.

Census data typically track vacant homes. Depending on the location, some cities require owners of vacant homes to register them in vacant property registries for record-keeping, making tracking by city housing departments possible.

Unoccupied Homes

Unoccupied homes have no permanent residents. The owners may sometimes stay there or plan to return, even if the property is currently vacant. Common signs of an unoccupied home include a maintained lawn, minimal mail, and working security cameras or lights (sometimes on timers). Additionally, the owner’s personal belongings and furniture are usually inside an unoccupied home.

Occupied homes can sometimes appear vacant, especially if the owners have been away for an extended period. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine from the outside whether a house is unoccupied or vacant. Breaking into an unoccupied home may be considered burglary since the property is still in use. Unlike vacant homes, owners of unoccupied homes are not required to register them.

How to Find Abandoned Houses 

Searching for abandoned homes through official records can help you avoid wasting time and resources on properties that only appear abandoned from the outside. The following step-by-step guide can help you find abandoned houses:

• Visit your county assessor’s office in person or check their website. You can search by street, neighborhood, or parcel maps. Look for properties with a delinquent tax status or little to no change in assessed value. You can also search for homes where the property address differs from the owner’s mailing address.
• Search for tax delinquency lists online or in local newspapers. Most counties maintain public lists of properties with unpaid taxes.
• Review your city’s code enforcement and utility records for properties with repeated violations, such as unsafe structures, tall grass, utility shutoffs, and unkempt yards. These properties may have been abandoned.
• Visit the local code enforcement office and search for vacant property registries; some vacant homes may be abandoned. These registries typically include property condition notes and owner contact information.
• Visit your county probate court and ask the clerk for estates that list real property. Many homes in probate are abandoned. A property in probate with unpaid taxes is most likely abandoned by the owner.
• Check the sheriff’s office or the county clerk of court website for foreclosure filings and auction notes. Owners of some homes in foreclosure may have abandoned them. Write down the addresses of these properties for further checking.
• Create a list of possible abandoned houses from the records you searched and drive by to check for physical indicators of abandonment. Take photos and notes, then compare your findings with the records.
• Afterward, contact the owner of the abandoned house (or their heirs) using the mailing address found in probate documents or tax records. Once you have established contact and confirmed legal ownership, you can mail a letter of interest to the property owner or heirs.

How to Identify the Owner 

Government records may not always provide complete ownership information for abandoned properties, making it difficult to identify their owners. Below are common scenarios you may encounter when searching for abandoned homes with unclear or incomplete ownership records, along with ways to identify their owners:

• Home is Bank-Owned or in Foreclosure - Typically, property ownership is transferred to the mortgage company or bank once foreclosure is complete. If no clear current owner is listed for a foreclosed home, check court foreclosure filings for the lender’s name. 
• Records Have Owner Name, but Mailing Address Is Outdated or Incorrect - In this situation, you can search public records, such as business licenses or voter registration, for the owner’s name or use skip tracing tools. Alternatively, you can ask neighbors near the property if they know where the owner moved.
• No Recent Records - If there is no recent activity on an abandoned home, such as unpaid taxes, and it appears the owner has disappeared, you may check the recorder’s office for older deed transfers. You can also look up census data to find the owner’s heirs or relatives.
• Owner is Deceased - If you have difficulty identifying the owner of an abandoned house whose owner is deceased, searching county probate court records for the deceased’s name may help. You can also look for the deceased’s personal representative or executor who is handling the estate.
• Property in Tax Sales Process or Tax Delinquency - Sometimes, counties list abandoned homes in tax delinquency or tax sales processes without updated owner contact information. To find or identify the owners of such properties, visit the tax collector’s office and check for official notices used to notify property owners. The tax collector’s office may also be able to provide the last known mailing address of a property owner.
• Property Held by an Entity - If records list an LLC as the owner of an abandoned house, you can search the Secretary of State’s business entity search resource to find the managing member or registered agent of the company. For trusts, you can search probate or recorded trust documents to obtain the trustee’s contact details.

Why Cities Track Abandoned Properties 

Abandoned properties are a matter of public record at the municipal level. In addition to supporting neighborhood stability, public safety, and code enforcement, cities track abandoned properties for ownership clarity, urban planning, and tax collection to protect revenue. Investors often use these records to identify distressed properties, typically through foreclosure auctions or tax sales. For residents, these records help monitor code complaints or abandoned property registries for neighborhood safety and to advocate for cleanup when necessary.

Ownership History

Property ownership history typically reveals who owned the property, when, and how the ownership changed. The following steps show how to trace the ownership history of abandoned homes:

• Begin Your Search with the Most Recent Owner - Obtain the most recent deed from the county recorder's office or website, or look up the most recent owner through RecordsFinder. It will show the current owner of the property. 
• Conduct a Backward Search Through Deed Transfers - A typical deed contains information about the grantee, grantor, document number, and date. You can find the previous deed where the property was sold using the grantor’s name, then repeat the process, working backward owner by owner.
• Take Notes of the Type of Transfer - Record how ownership of the property has changed over time for each deed you collect. Each trustee’s deed, sheriff’s deed, warranty deed, quitclaim deed, tax deed, and administrator’s or executor’s deed will reveal why the property became abandoned.

After noting how ownership of the property changed, take the following steps:

• Check the property tax payment history from the county tax collector or treasurer and note delinquency or ownership changes associated with deed transfers.
• Look up the recorder’s index for possible mortgages or liens tied to the property’s neglect.
• If a deed shows the property was transferred by an executor or estate, it means the owner is deceased. You can check probate and court records for probate files to find possible disputes, heirs, and any unfinished transfers that might have left the property abandoned.

Taking these steps will help you understand how an abandoned home ended up in its current state, reveal the ownership history, and show you who may still be legally responsible for the property.

FAQs

How Do I Find Abandoned Houses Near Me?

To find an abandoned house, check records from the clerk of court, county assessor’s office, sheriff’s office, or city vacant property registry. Once you find useful information, you may visit the property to look for common signs of abandonment.

How Can I Prove a House is Abandoned Using Public Records?

You can prove a house is abandoned if public records show local code enforcement violations, such as unsafe structures, junk accumulation, unmaintained landscaping, or overgrown yards, or if there is tax delinquency. A public record showing a vacant property registration can also indicate a house is abandoned, especially if it remains vacant for a long time, such as two years.

Can I Claim an Abandoned Home?

No, you cannot rightfully claim an abandoned house. However, adverse possession may be possible in rare cases, where the state can allow you to take possession after years of open, tax-paying, and continuous occupancy. This typically requires a court process.

What Public Records Show if a Home is Headed to Auction?

Lien certificates, legal notices, sales notices, foreclosure listings, property tax liens, and tax deed sale lists are all public records that indicate a home may be headed to auction.

How Do I Research a Property’s Ownership History?

You can research a property’s ownership history by performing a property records search on RecordsFinder. You may also obtain the latest deed from the county clerk or recorder of deeds and then conduct a backward search through deed transfers. Tax records or estate filings (if the owner is deceased) will reveal ownership and address history.