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New Tulsa homeowner dealing with mess she claims wasn't disclosed

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TULSA, Okla — First-time homeowner Rebecca Rolseth can't wait to move into the little house she bought in late August.

"I've got people working on the foundation right now," Rolseth said, "so, I'm hoping I can move into it in a few weeks.

The house is just over 100 years old and needs some work. It includes original hardwood floors under the wall-to-wall carpet, interior doors with crystal door knobs, and a beautiful fireplace in the front room.

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It sits on a double lot that was so overgrown when she bought the place you almost couldn't see the house. Turns out, that was a problem. Prior to her purchase, the City of Tulsa issued a code enforcement compliance order requiring that the overgrowth and debris to be cleaned up.

"That was not disclosed when I bought the house," she said.

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Shortly after she took possession of the property the City tacked a notice on her door requiring the mess overgrown vegetation be cleaned up. And even though the notice has the previous owner's name and address on it, Rolseth told 2 News the City is requiring her to do the cleanup.

A code enforcement officer provided two dumpsters to haul away the trash and overgrowth, but before she could fill them, others loaded them up with their trash and even old mattresses.

Rolseth has the lot next to her house cleaned up, and it passed its code inspection, but because there are still piles of branches on the lot with her house, it did not.

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"Really, all I need is one more dumpster," Rolseth said, "and another week or two, and I can have it finished."

She told 2 News her car isn't big enough to haul the brush piles to the green waste center.

The code concern isn't the only Rolseth has with the City since buying her home. She's also unsure why the city refunded her October water bill payment and then shut off her water for non-payment.

She called the Problem Solvers when she could not get anyone from the City to explain what happened.

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She showed us her email receipt for the City accepting her payment and the City's email refunding that payment. It does not say why it was refunded.

We reached out to the city for answers. In an email, the city's spokesperson had this to say:

There have been two new Code Enforcement cases between this address and the adjoining vacant lot. The vacant lot case was voluntarily resolved and the other at this address is continuing to be worked out. There are no liens filed at this address, and the City has not asked this resident to pay any fines related to old Code Enforcement cases.

On the utilities question, that is a question the resident would need to resolve with their bank. The City did receive a payment, but the payment was returned by the bank. While there was a work order to cut the water due to non-payment, the meter equipment was giving issues at the time and will need to be repaired before a water shutoff could occur.
City of Tulsa

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