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Updated over 7 years ago on . Most recent reply
Inherited Property in Philly- Multiple violations!! Help!!!
Hello Everyone,
My mother is a senior citizen and she inherited a home in Philly from my grandmother. Little did she know, but the home has multiple issues. There are 2 major code violations- one is an unsafe structure violation and the other is for exterior rear walls. She has been trying to find a contractor to pull the permits, but things are becoming rather expensive. Neither of us are experienced with housing in Philly (she lives in Miami and I live in Cleveland) but my mother is afraid of going to jail. She'll be 80 in a few weeks and I'm thinking of having her transfer the home to me to free her of the burden. There is also an outstanding gas bill. What options- if any, do we have? It's been one year since she received notification from L&I about the code violations and the fines are stacking up. I really want to help her, but I'm not sure that it's financially feasible. It seems like her back is against the wall. Is there any way out? We would love to use this as a rental property, but we can't seem to find a licensed contractor that can pull the permit who isn't trying to charge an arm and a leg to the do work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My mother is very stressed out over this and I feel completely helpless. Thanks!!
Most Popular Reply
I would call the city or whoever is in charge of the code violations and give them the big sob story. Tell them your elderly mother inherited the property & you really want to do the right thing and get the property up to code etc etc. Ask if they can help you out and give you more time to get the work done without getting fined. I've had some code violations and found when I talked with the guy he was willing to help me out (maybe I got lucky).
Then get a good PM to help you get the codes taken care of and help you manage the rental & get it cash flowing. Or keep interviewing until you find a contractor to fix it that's reasonably priced and then sell it if that's what you wanted to do.