The City of St. John’s says it monitors abandoned properties to ensure that minimum standards are met.

The city was responding to questions raised about a derelict property immediately next door to one of the city’s largest elementary schools.

Firefighters were called to the property last week after a fire broke out behind the house and the school had to go into ‘Secure Schools’ mode.

It was just the latest in a series of fires at the property, which has become a bit of a hangout.

While the city won’t respond specifically to the property in question, it does say that if a complaint is received about a vacant dwelling, an inspection is carried out to determine its overall exterior condition and whether it’s secured to prevent people from getting in.

If no complaints are made, the standard practice is to monitor properties occasionally to ensure they’re in acceptable condition. If the property is deemed to be unsafe, the city will take more severe measures which may include a demolition order.