Well, note that I said "writing tickets," which one could argue is not really the same as enforcing. In theory, the property owner might be just paying the tickets rather than solve the problem. Or ignoring the tickets and letting them pile up (a lot more likely). If a property owner ignores enough such tickets, a lien can be placed on the home...but that might not have any effect either, if the owner isn't trying to sell.

In other words, it seems to me that the city is ill-equipped to deal with situations of absentee owners who ignore these chronic problems (which is probably the case with the houses you're noticing). The system works pretty well with the average lazy but basically decent homeowner, who will pay the ticket and then at least try to fix the problem. But with a deadbeat owner, when it gets to the point where writing more and more tickets isn't changing anything, then what? The city seems not to have an answer to that one.