BATON ROUGE - Neighbors to one property say a man fixing up a house in Village St. George is doing anything but that. They are tired of looking at it and are requesting the city do something. With no action taken a concerned citizen contacted 2 On Your Side.

A chain-link fence surrounds a lot in the 1700 block of Peck Drive in Baton Rouge. Tarps blowing in the breeze prevent passersby from seeing much beyond a chimney, some framing, a basketball hoop and inground pool.

The house burned in 2020. Quentin Williams applied for a building permit in 2021. The City-Parish says the permit is still valid so long as the job isn't abandoned for more than six months.

"We have totally demoed the roof, gutted the property," Williams said.

The owner of the property lives out of state and Williams gets the tax bill. He has plans to rebuild the two-story house.

"I'm just doing what I need to do to make it better for me and my family," Williams said.

Neighbors use the phrase "fixing it up" loosely. One man who does not want to be identified drives by the house daily and says not much has changed since the house fire.

"Nothing has moved with any sense of urgency at all," he said.

After several inspections by the city, the property went before the Metro Council for condemnation in 2022. The item was deleted from the agenda when Williams defended his rebuilding efforts.

"He's doing a great job of cutting the grass, I've got to give him that, but that's all that happens over there is he keeps cutting the grass and at what point is it considered blight," said the frustrated neighbor.

Through his research, the neighbor is questioning the legality of what's happening.

"I found out that the permit was applied for through an affidavit of exemption of licensing that was supposedly considered valid," he said. "You can't go buy somebody's house after the fact and say you're going to live in it and be exempt from the licensing requirements."

The complaints at the property are so common that Williams has posted a note asking people to call him if they have questions or concerns. Right now, he doesn't have a timeline to finish the work but tells 2 On Your Side he is working diligently.

The city says the property doesn't qualify for condemnation and says there's no safety issue. The city believes the property owner is making progress and will continue to monitor the project.