Owner Update "Question of The Month"

Q: On the high-lighted form I fill out for a TMHA tenant (called the Request for Tenancy Approval or RTA), the housing authority asks for the "year constructed." Do I need to provide this if I don't know the date? Why does the housing authority need this information anyway?

A. The RTA is a form provided by HUD, and yes, as a housing authority administrating the Voucher program, we must get that information. We use the info. for primarily two reasons.

First, when we do the rent reasonableness test, we compare the unit to others that are similar to verify that the asking rent is reasonable. Age of the unit is one of the comparables. Second, if the tenant family has children under six or a pregnant mother, the unit may be applicable to the Lead Based Paint Rule depending on the age of the unit, so it's crucial to know the "year constructed" date.

For the above reasons, we need to have the owner certify to this information. There are several ways to search for the year constructed date.

PROPERTY DEED - the deed and attendant documents such as the title insurance survey should provide the needed info., but if it doesn't or is inconclusive, try TUSCARAWAS CO. WEBSITE - address is www.co.tuscarawas.oh.us At Home page, click Property Search. At Search page, click Start Here. There are three ways to search - Parcel ID, Current Owner, or Property Address. The search is relatively self-explanatory. Once you find the property, note that there are a number of property "cards" for every
address. These can be accessed by using the arrows in the upper right hand corner of the screen, or use the menu bar along the top of the screen.

If you use the Address search, here are a couple of tips. In the street field, spell out numbers - in other words, 6th is Sixth. Refrain from putting in directionals like N,S, SE, or using commas, periods, etc. Spell out the street name only, and then Search. The search will bring up a selection of addresses for that street from which to choose the one you want.

TUSC. CO. AUDITOR'S OFFICE - if the website does not have the information, a property owner can visit to Auditor's office in the Courthouse Annex, and the staff there will help search for the information.

If the above methods fail to provide the exact "year constructed" date, at the very least, we ask that you specify a decade when the unit was constructed. Say you know the unit was built sometime in the 1920's. To satisfy the "year constructed" query, you might put down 1925. It's not exact, but you can certify that it is close.


TMHA Office Closings For November
The Tuscarawas Metropolitan Housing Authority office will observe the following  holidays in the month of November and will be closed for business these days:

November 11th - Veterans Day
November 25, 26 - Thanksgiving Holiday

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