Homeowner News

Delaware County Awards Contract To Begin Countywide Reassessment

November 30, 2017 by admin

Avondale Springs Townhouses - Wallingford PA

Avondale Springs Townhomes Anong 200,000 Properties In Delaware County To Be Reassessed

Acting on the March 2017 court order by Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge Charles B. Burr that the county undertake the first complete reassessment of all property valuations in the county since 2000, the Delaware County County Council yesterday awarded a $6 million dollar contract to Tyler Technologies to conduct the countywide reassessment.

The court order for the reassessment originates from a lawsuit filed by a homeowner in Rose Valley and Haverford who argued that the county’s methodology for assessing the value of homes lacked uniformity and therefore violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.

Property assessments form the value basis which are used by local governmental bodies to levy property taxes and determine tax bills. The goal of the reassessment is to distribute the tax burden more fairly, but there are bound to be winners and losers as a result of this process.

By law a reassessment must be revenue neutral, so collectively taxpayers are not expected to pay more or less as a result, though some individual properties will pay more or less after a new basis is established.

County Council also approved a contract Wednesday for a company to provide aerial photographs of properties to use in the reassessment. The photographs will be used to compare building permits and other existing property information to actual property characteristics.

Property owners are expected to receive notification of the reassessment by mail and will be asked to confirm property data with information on file with the County. In some cases assessors will make in person visits to some homes.

Property owners will receive their new assessments in 2020, and will be able to file appeals before the new assessments are reflected in their property taxes in 2021.

Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086

No Tax Hike For 2018 Delaware County Taxes

October 31, 2017 by admin

Delaware County homeowners will see no increase in their county tax bills in 2018, the County Council announced earlier this month. This marks the fourth straight year without a county tax increase.

A final budget will not be submitted to Council by the executive director until November and must be approved by year’s end.

The county millage rate will remain at 5.604 mills.

In practical terms this means that the County tax will be $5.604 for every $1,000 of assessed value. For example the County tax bill for a home assessed at $100,000 would be $560.40.

Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086

New Legislation Provides Guidance For Local Code Enforcement Officials

November 12, 2016 by admin

Does A Missing Outlet Cover Make A Home Unfit For Habitation – HB 1437 Defines The Term

Unchecked authority by many local code enforcement officials has often led to municipalities labeling houses “unfit for habitation”. Their refusal to issue temporary use and occupancy certificates to homebuyers over issues such cracked sidewalks, missing outlet covers, or missing house numbers has now been restrained. Minor issues exist elsewhere in the neighborhoods, but some municipalities have claimed they make the home “unfit for human habitation.”

Pennsylvania House Bill 1437 which was signed into law last week by Governor Wolf closes several significant loopholes in the PA Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act that have allowed some municipal code inspectors to stifle home sales.

Following are major highlights of the legislation:

– Mandates that municipalities that require inspections issue a resale certificate regardless of code violations found. Home sales will no longer be “held hostage” because municipalities refuse to issue a U & O certificate over minor maintenance issues

– Defines “unfit for habitation” to provide clearer guidance to local code enforcement officials. The current law contains no definition of “unfit for habitation,” allowing local officials to make up their own definition

– Creates a new category of certificate (Temporary Access) which allows buyers of homes that are truly “unfit for habitation” to make repairs within 12 months of purchase. Currently, municipalities can refuse to issue a certificate if they claim a home is “unfit for habitation” due to even minor code violations such as cracked sidewalks.

– Prohibits escrow requirements by municipalities as a condition of issuing a resale permit. Large escrow requirements in some municipalities have made selling homes very difficult

Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086

Use & Occupancy Requirements Can Derail Settlements – New Law Aims To Provide Relief

April 21, 2016 by admin

Cracked Sidewalks Marked For Repair

Does a cracked sidewalk or missing house numbers make a home unfit for habitation? According to many municipalities it does and these conditions can result in settlement delays under current laws and some municipalities have chosen to define “unfit for habitation” as any property maintenance violation defined in their requirements, no matter how minor.

There is good news on the horizon though. An amendment to House Bill 1437 which passed unanimously this week in the Pennsylvania House would require that certificates be issued by municipalities who choose to conduct resale code inspections, regardless of the nature of code violation found. The amendment creates a new category of Temporary Access certificate that would allow a sale to proceed even if a home is determined to be unfit for habitation, but require that substantial code violations be corrected prior to the new owner inhabiting the property. It would also require that all other minor code violations be corrected within a certain time frame, with financial and other penalties left in place for failure to comply.

Check out the Use & Occupancy application and requirements for Nether Providence Township.

Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086

Vacant Homes Cause Insurance Coverage Issues

January 26, 2016 by admin

There are more and more vacant homes on the market these days and most sellers would assume that their standard homeowner’s insurance policy provides full coverage for their now vacant abodes. They maybe surprised to learn that most insurance companies have limits on how long a home can remain vacant before a the policy is considered voided or cancelled.

Vacant homes present a number of additional liability issues and are seen as risker to insure than an occupied home. A homeowner’s absence from a property increases the likelihood of theft, vandalism and utility related damage – such as leaking pipes.

Silence is not golden when it comes to notifying your insurance carrier that your home will be unoccupied. It may be tempting to leave the property and not inform you carrier of the change in the status of the property but that is an ill advised strategy. You could be denied coverage for damages or your policy could be terminated if your home has been vacant beyond the 30 to 60 day vacancy exclusion that is typical in most insurance policies. Homes that are vacant for a period greater that the policy’s exclusion time frame might be classified as abandoned.

If your home is soon to be vacant there are two possible options for making sure you have continuous insurance coverage: purchasing an vacancy endorsement to the existing policy or buying a separate vacant home insurance policy. In either scenario the time to discuss the future vacant status of your home with your insurance company is before the property becomes unoccupied and to fully understand the coverage limits and exclusions of your current policy and the options for continuing proper coverage.

Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086

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S. Clark Kendus