BUCYRUS—Local property manager Jarrod Miller spoke to the Health and Safety Committee about his plans to use the Receivership process through the Crawford County Courts to address abandoned and nuisance properties.
Miller explained the process. Miller is an agent of the court. Any properties put into receivership are done so with the intention of returning them to their owners if possible after they have been brought up to code and made safe for occupancy.
Miller emphasized that the deed to the property remains in the original owner’s name during the process. The owner will have multiple opportunities to pay for the upgrades and receive the property back. Rents collected in the meantime are held in the receivership. All upgrades must be approved by the court before they are completed.
While Miller admitted that he plans to make a profit from his management, he was emphatic about not taking homes away from people.
He noted that owner-occupied homes often fall into disrepair that owners are unable to afford to fix. He pledged to help those people get the help and resources they need to bring their homes up to standard.
Landlord-owned homes can be taken into receivership for disrepair.
Miller told the council that while landlords are cited by the city, there is really no avenue to an effective consequence. They may pay a fine and do the bare minimum to bring their property to code, only to repeat the cycle.
“You never want to see nuisance properties in a city. It brings down property values and brings in more and more crime and violence,” Miller said.
Miller explained that many landlords are repeat offenders, barely keeping their properties up but collecting rent from tenants. He further emphasized that landlords will be given multiple opportunities to repair their properties.
“When a landlord talks to an attorney and finds out that this is a real thing and they could get their property taken away and sold they may actually fix it right. “Miller said.
Abandoned properties that Miller identified as “Zombie Properties” are properties that are owned by out-of-state owners who simply use them for tax purposes or hold them to sell for a profit when the market supports it but never intend to do any upkeep on them. Those properties would be put through the receivership process, taken by order of the court, and then turned into livable properties.
Miller told the committee Bucyrus needs housing, and this is a step toward repurposing the abandoned properties and restoring neighboring property values. He also pledged to use local contractors for property repairs.
Crawford County Now will continue to follow this developing story.