Practice area
Real estate
A home or a building is often the largest purchase a person makes, and the paperwork is written by someone else. We review it, explain it and step in when a transaction or a tenancy goes wrong.
Overview
In Ohio, most home sales close without either side having a lawyer. That works until something unusual appears: a title defect, a failed inspection, a seller who will not move out or a buyer whose financing falls through. A review of the contract before you sign costs little compared with what is at stake.
We also act for landlords and tenants. Evictions in Ohio follow a strict sequence, beginning with a written notice, and a mistake at any step can send the landlord back to the beginning. Tenants have rights to repairs and to the return of a deposit.
Disputes between neighbors over boundaries, driveways and easements are often decided by old deeds and surveys. We read the records, obtain a survey where one is needed and try to settle the matter before it becomes a lawsuit.
Matters we handle
Purchase and sale contracts
Reviewing and negotiating contracts for homes, land and commercial property.
Title problems
Liens, missing heirs, errors in deeds and actions to quiet title.
Evictions
Acting for landlords and tenants in municipal court, from the first notice to the hearing.
Leases
Drafting and reviewing residential and commercial leases.
Land contracts
Instalment sales of property, including what happens when payments stop.
Boundaries and easements
Disputes over property lines, shared driveways, fences and rights of access.
Deeds and transfers
Survivorship deeds, transfers between family members and transfer on death designations.
Who this is for
- You are about to sign a contract to buy or sell property.
- A closing has been delayed by a problem with the title.
- You are a landlord with a tenant who has stopped paying, or a tenant who has received a notice.
- You and a neighbor disagree about where the line is or who may use a driveway.
What to do now
- Have the contract reviewed before you sign it. Afterwards your options are narrower.
- Keep every document from the transaction: the contract, disclosures, inspection report and title commitment.
- If you have received an eviction notice or a summons, note the hearing date and attend.
- Landlords should not change locks, remove belongings or shut off utilities. Ohio law forbids it.
- Photograph the condition of the property, or of the boundary in dispute.
- Find your deed and any survey before you speak to the neighbor again.
How the fee works
Flat fee or hourly
Reviewing a purchase contract, preparing a deed or lease, and handling an uncontested eviction are each done for a flat fee quoted in advance.
Title actions and disputes are billed by the hour, with an estimate at the start. Recording fees, court costs and the cost of a survey are separate.
What to bring to the consultation
- The purchase contract, lease or land contract
- Your deed and any survey of the property
- The title commitment or title policy
- Any notices you have sent or received
- A payment record, for a landlord and tenant matter
- Photographs of the property or the area in dispute
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to buy a house in Ohio?
The law does not require one, and many sales close without. A lawyer is worth having when the contract is not a standard form, when the property is being sold by an estate or by its owner directly, or when the title search turns up a problem.
How does an eviction work in Ohio?
The landlord must first serve a written notice to leave the premises, normally giving three days. If the tenant stays, the landlord files a complaint in the municipal court and a hearing is set. Only a court officer may remove a tenant, and only after the court orders it.
What is a transfer on death designation?
It is a recorded document that names who will receive a property when the owner dies. The property then passes to that person without going through probate. The owner keeps full control during life and can change the designation.
Attorneys who handle this
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