“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”- Benjamin Franklin In Ohio (and other jurisdictions) there are exceptions to Mr. Franklin’s general rule. Certain entities such as corporations and limited liability companies may live on for...
Content By KJK
Ohio Supreme Court re Analysis of Property Tax Exemption Under RC 5709.121
One of the more confusing areas in the world of charitable use exemptions of real property from taxation in Ohio revolves around situations where the property is leased. On February 16, 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court decided an appeal from the Board of Tax Appeals (the...
Caveat (Property) Manager
In the “old days”, when one could get 10%+ in a money market, a real estate management fee of 4-6% on rents did not excite many folks in the real estate industry about jumping into the property management business. Now that 1% is considered a “high rate of interest”,...
Ohio UCC Provision Re: Constructive Notice Applies to All Recorded Mortgages, Even With Defective Acknowledgement
On February 16, 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court decided In re Messer, Slip Opinion No 2016-Ohio-510, which addresses the application of ORC 1301.401 to recorded mortgages that were deficiently executed under ORC 5301.01. This decision was issued at the request of U.S....
CLE Update: Upcoming CLE Seminars in Ohio
As we come out of hibernation from a not so bad winter, and head into the spring of 2016, there are many new real estate related continuing education offerings worth looking into. Below are some of the recent real estate related CLEs scheduled. OSBA 31st Annual...
Real Estate Tax Valuations — A Recent Sales Price Does Not Always Control
A prior sale price is typically the basis for a real property valuation but not always. A couple of recent decisions issued by the Ohio Supreme Court. In Warrensville Hts. City School Dist Bd of Edn. V. Cuyahoga Cty Bd. of Revision, Slip Opinion No. 2016-Ohio-78, the...
Real Estate Legislation: House Bill 77 & More Introduced in the Ohio Legislature
Recent bills of the 131st General Assembly (See https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/) pending in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate related to real property are as follows:...
Real Estate 101: Termination of Easements by the Doctrine of Merger
When a property owner holds an easement on neighboring property and later acquires title to that neighboring property, the easement automatically terminates by operation of law due to the merger of title. After all, a property owner cannot hold an easement on its own...
Hindsight is not 20/20 when Interpreting Liquidated Damages Clauses in Public Contracts
Liquidated Damages Provisions Generally Typically, courts in Ohio (and elsewhere) follow a well-known principle of interpreting contract language so as to carry out the intent of the parties, when that intent is evidenced by clear, contract language. This is...
“Spear Phishing”: An Increasing Threat to Real Estate Transactions
All parties involved in real estate transactions need to take care in how they handle the closings and wire funds. Reports in both the United States and Britain show in increase in what is known as “spear phishing”. An article by Rose Meily published in the San Jose...