Pennsylvania Statutes Title 68 P.S. Real and Personal Property § 1102. Legislative findings and purpose

(1) Pennsylvania's older communities are important to the Commonwealth's economic health by providing a focal point for businesses and services and to this Commonwealth's quality of life with its rich history and diverse communities. However, many older communities suffer from blighted properties that have been abandoned by their owners.

(2) Many citizens of this Commonwealth are adversely affected by abandoned and blighted residential, commercial and industrial properties, including those citizens who live in proximity to such substandard buildings, as well as those who own property in the vicinity of such buildings.

(3) Substandard, deteriorating and abandoned residential, commercial and industrial structures are a public safety threat and nuisance and their blighting effect diminishes property values in the communities in which these properties are located.

(4) If these buildings are not rehabilitated, they are likely to remain abandoned and further deteriorate, resulting in increased costs to the Commonwealth, municipality and taxpayers to secure and ultimately demolish them.

(5) Providing a mechanism to transform abandoned and blighted buildings into productive reuse is an opportunity for communities to modernize, revitalize and grow, and to improve the quality of life for neighbors who are already there.

(6) If the owner of a residential, commercial or industrial building fails to maintain the property in accordance with applicable municipal codes or standards of public welfare or safety, it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth, the municipality and the community for the court, pursuant to the provisions of this act, to appoint a conservator to make the necessary improvements before the building deteriorates further and necessitates demolition, resulting in the removal of the building from the housing supply or prohibiting future productive economic use.