All Forum Posts by: James Mc Ree

It would be insane for Seller to agree to this without compensation. Nothing good for Seller can come of it. Accidents impact the value of the property and can result in litigation. Keep in mind that Buyer is using Seller's utilities in doing the work, so maybe Buyer should transfer the utilities early.

As Buyer, you would want to talk with your insurance company to see if they will cover you for the work on a house you have equitable interest in, but do not yet own. Business liability insurance may cover this, but typical homeowner/landlord insurance is for property you own.

Permits may be tricky for a property you don't own yet. You probably just need Seller's agreement. Permit closure issues might be a problem if they impact the issuance of a U&O.

In brief, just wait the 2 months to greatly simplify your experience. If you need a month or two for the work, then you will have the property available just as the Spring market is about to arrive which should be perfect timing. There are many fewer buyers/renters looking for homes over the holidays.

A couple PA inspectors told me basement bedrooms in PA are not allowed by code. It's not a matter of adding egress, height, etc. I have walkout basements in the back of properties, but they are up to 5 feet below grade in the front. Any unit below grade anywhere around it counts as a basement and cannot be a dwelling unit it PA. I haven't challenged it or researched it much further.

Consider exploring the realtor's insurance to pay the remaining 1%. It's impossible for the agent to argue she didn't know since she has both sides of the transaction and is hired to know the regulations. Similarly, the agent works for the broker with whom you have the contact making the broker responsible as well.

This is a very common limitation the agent should have known to at least ask about.

I am in PA, so no OH experience.

My recommendation is to hire an attorney local to Columbus with eviction experience. Getting the procedures right is critical and don't want to rely on an Internet discussion group with no skin in the game and thousands of your dollars at risk. For example, if you continue accepting rent payments, your 60 day notice may be nullified depending on OH laws.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/the-eviction-process...

You should have copies of the landlord-tenant lease and Section 8 lease. Those are your governing documents. You should be able to request a copy from the local Section 8 office. Follow the lease termination procedures in those docs.

Section 8 requires a 60 day written notice. You can't evict them until that time elapses and they are still there. It should be easier after 60 days because they no longer have a lease. You have a major power over the tenant at this point: an eviction or leaving the property owing you money could result in the tenant losing their Section 8 voucher and having to wait years to get a new one. Your Section 8 case manager might be able to help explain that to your tenant to move them along.

You can make a request to Section 8 to raise the rent. Talk with your case manager about that. Evaluate your local market to determine fair market rent for your property. Look up what Section 8 thinks is fair market rent and make a request. Section 8 will then approve something after talking with the tenant to see what they can afford. You can decide to keep it or not.

The trigger for CMHA to start paying is the passed inspection. They don't know if you fixed the issues the day before the inspection or months before. They go with the inspection date. It's unfortunate COVID got in the way. That impacted a lot of landlords much worse than this. Unfortunately, it's not a reason to auto-pass.

Instead of taking CMHA to task, you might want to do so with your property manager. Ask why they are allowing unused hot water tanks, windows nailed shut, surfaces in need of painting, etc. I think CMHA will tell you they are following the contract. Your PM might not be able to say the same.

You can get a few quotes to replace the carpet with a similar grade of carpet to establish the cost. The tenant would pay to replace the carpet and you could do whatever you want from there.

The county easement effectively makes the ditch county property. The ditch was probably designed to hold a certain capacity of stormwater and it was below that capacity due to the growth. You should talk with the county about clearing it themselves since it is their ditch.

I would not add anything without county approval. The cloth is probably not a concern. The rock will reduce capacity and they may require you to remove it if you do not have permission first.

Alternatively, since the ditch was so overgrown, they might no longer be checking and won't care to even notice. It will depend on what you want to accomplish. Getting them to pay for the clearing is a possibility, but they probably won't pay for nor approve adding rock.

A roofer.

Title search and title insurance usually come together, but they are different. A title search is just checking to see if there are outstanding claims against the property. Insurance is the title company protecting you if they missed something. You lack that protection if you don't get insurance.

A foreclosure is a riskier situation because you don't know what is unpaid. Existing liens are easy. The title company can call the HOA, if there s one, and learn if there is a balance. They may miss the plumber who installed a new furnace and central air but wasn't paid yet and who hasn't yet filed a mechanics lien. That would be an example of the risk you accept without title insurance.