At first glance because he didn't disclose it was a service animal so I do think you have grounds for a breach of lease, however, each state varies in the interpretation of that law.

While I am not an attorney, I interpret this to mean that the property can only be used as a residence, and the tenant will only use the property as it is zoned.Auto repair places use some pretty caustic chemicals and I cannot imagine the city would allow this to continue to operate in a residential neighborhood.

It's helpful to be able to jump on the phone with an attorney who is allowed to explain/interpret legal documents and sometimes there are situations when you need a power of attorney drafted last minute, and they're present in the office to do so. 

This leaves room for a lot of interpretation—on your part and the inspectors.

Short of sending it to him in jail (or he gets out before the end of the Dec) I don't see a method for getting it to him wherein I'd still be obligated to give it to him based on my interpretation of the Ohio code.thanks for everyone's advice and suggestions.

It's a complicated game, and, to answer your question, not all lenders interpret your financials in the same way.

An actual earnest money deposit is NOT a requirement of valid consideration or a valid contract.I believe, but have absolutely no evidence, that this is a national courts interpretation/decision or a generally accepted interpretation of contract law because of how similarly I've seen it phrased in different states.Not to say that there aren't states that interpret it differently, but the dozen or so I have researched are all the same.In Texas at the least, I have had this discussion with several very well qualified attorneys, and they all agree that earnest money is NOT required for a valid and enforceable contract in Texas.

You also have maybe 3 or more government agencies involved....often appraisal district, tax assessor, some judicial court, and sheriffs department...people change, their interpretation of the law changes, who's in control sometimes changes....so it can be a bit of a mess and a challenge.While some stuff is getting online, I'd say much of it is NOT online. 

I happened to discover the info I initially started this thread with and wondered what it meant or if there was a way to interpret it.

There are not a lot of rentals in this market, which I interpret as a positive, compared to a glut of cheap rentals in an area like Germantown where I've also been looking.