Cancún Weighs Legal Action Against Owners of Abandoned Properties as Census Finds 20 Downtown

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Owners of abandoned or deteriorated buildings in Cancún could face legal action if authorities are unable to track them down and ask them to fix up their properties, the Benito Juárez municipality’s Ecology and Urban Development Department has warned.

Department head Nahielli Orozco said the city government is carrying out a census to identify properties that receive no maintenance and are overgrown or dilapidated, damaging the city’s image. So far, more than 20 such buildings have been found in Cancún’s founding zone.

Orozco said the goal is to build a registry that shows the scale of the problem and determines which municipal agencies should step in, depending on the condition of each property.

Voluntary cleanup first

As a first step, authorities will try to contact owners and ask them to carry out cleaning, pruning, maintenance or remodeling work voluntarily.

“First we will reach out to ask them to voluntarily improve the appearance of these properties,” Orozco said.

However, when those responsible cannot be identified or located, the municipal government will study legal options for handling each case. Orozco did not specify which procedures could be used or under what conditions.

The survey remains in its inspection phase, after the staff involved received training with support from the Municipal Committee for the Comprehensive Care of Properties in a State of Abandonment, Risk or Deterioration.

The department expects to have the first census results in about two weeks. Officials will use them to define how to deal with the properties identified and improve the urban environment in Cancún.