Local Agent in Charge Service in Cleveland - Please Share your Thoughts
Nathan FisherBusiness Member
Property Manager · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2020 · 305 posts · 261 votes
Aligned Properties Group4.292 Reviews
Local Agent in Charge Service in Cleveland - Please Share your Thoughts
1 Reply
- Real Estate Agent · Cleveland OH · Member since 2015 · 213 posts · 275 votes6mo
Are we talking about Zach Burkons. I am in Cleveland and act as an agent in charge only for good clients, that can afford and will make repairs/improvements to their properties to meet Cleveland's bi-annual Lead Risk Assessment Certification requirements to obtain a rental registration/Occupancy Certification. The LAIC can be held personally and financially liable if the owner fails to perform. This high amount of risk is causing a lot a pause among real estate agents, and one's that do provide the service are requiring relatively high levels of liability insurance and/or reserves. I was licensed as the lead clearance technician and after 4 years of dealing with City of Cleveland Building & Housing, CLASH and Environmental Health Watch, I began to sell all my 100 year old homes in Cleveland, I have also advised my clients to do the same. I also let me license lapse, at 68 I was unwilling to take on the liability for a $300-400 test fee. The Accela data base system is hard to use and full of incorrect information, B&H is understaffed and uncommitted to the program with was forced upon them by CLASH, an activist organization that pushed this program through public referendum. The city claims to have $100 million available to make homes lead safe, of which they have spent maybe 20% mostly by EHW for incentives to landlords to make their home lead safe. The only successful use of the money was suspended in Feb. Their performance in administering the grants is poor. I got a first response on a grant last month that I filled out 1 week short of 3 years ago. The home was updated to meet lead safe standards and sold in 6 weeks in 2023. They have a 3 year backlog and are not taking new applications. They have since hired a construction management firm to help oversee the grant program administration. They are paying this company twice the customary project supervision rate. They had another program to house tenants in unsafe rentals that supported only 4 families over a 4 year period. They received applauds for their success, I would have been embarrassed to report the stats. I was probably the only real estate agent/property manager in the room during the lead safe convening last fall. I told Dr Margolis that if he wanted to get the lead poisoning rates down from 17% they should practice targeted selection, using the housing condition data collected and GIS data; they should select all properties rated in poor condition with children under 6 living in the home. The politicians resist the obvious because it would also include owner occupants. The Director of Legal Aid Society who must of thought the idea made sense, suggested it could be called reverse disinvestment. With money being targeted to the selected neighborhoods. They are good at messaging, not so much on performance.
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