In the heart of Zacatecas’s Historic Center, more than 150 homes are in a legal limbo that prevents their intervention and maintenance. Entangled in intestate succession proceedings, these properties are neither inhabited nor restored, which has resulted in increasing structural deterioration and a constant risk to the population.
According to information from the Monuments Board, there are currently 170 properties listed as at risk of collapse, of which at least 150 are intestate, meaning they lack a legal entity that can take responsibility for the property. Meanwhile, the INAH (National Institute of Historic Places), based on a catalog of 827 historic properties in the Historic Center, has identified 105 homes listed under this category as being at risk of collapse.
“We have a census of 827 historic monuments, of which 105 are at risk of collapse, to varying degrees; these are the most worrisome,” explained Carlos Torreblanca Padilla, INAH delegate in Zacatecas.
Many of these properties are classified as monuments under the recent federal declaration of Zacatecas as a “Zone of Historic Monuments.” However, since they are private properties, public resources cannot be invested in their repair and preservation, despite their unquestionable historical value.
When a person dies without leaving a will, their heirs must initiate probate proceedings to legalize ownership of the property. The process can become more complex and time-consuming if the property doesn’t have deeds registered in the Public Property Registry, which is common for older homes in the Historic Center.
“Trials take about a year and a half if there’s no litigation between the heirs. The price is somewhat high, but it’s a matter of appraisal. Engineers, architects, etc. must be paid, and people find the costs of obtaining deeds high,” explained attorney Erika Basurto, coordinator of the law program at the University of Veracruz.
For her part, attorney Marlene Martínez Rodarte, of the Búhos Abogados firm in the Bicentenario extension, explained that generally, in a probate proceeding, “we don’t know what’s involved. For example, we don’t know that the estate actually only had two assets when three are lost, or vice versa, we think the estate had one property and then had more. Because of these details, these types of proceedings sometimes take a long time.”
These types of cases can drag on if there are conflicts between heirs, deceased individuals, or absentees. Each case has its own complications, but in addition, once the legal issue of the property is resolved, restoration costs can be very high depending on the property, but according to appraisers, these costs range up to 10 million pesos.
Although probate proceedings can be expensive and time-consuming, as can home restorations, most permits and restoration projects are free and are granted immediately, contrary to popular belief. Authorities recognize, however, that it is urgent to create a one-stop shop to streamline procedures and reactivate heritage conservation; furthermore, there is a lack of interest from the private sector in submitting projects to support these buildings, which would allow for the revitalization of these spaces.
Source: meganoticias
