Ohio Foreclosure Laws
Attorney General's Office
30 E. Broad St., 17th floor
Columbus, OH 43266-0410
Ph: (614) 466-4320
Fax: (614) 466-5087
Foreclosure Laws in Ohio
Judicial Foreclosure: Yes
Non-Judicial Foreclosure: No
Security Instruments: Mortgage
Right of Redemption: No
Deficiency Judgments: Yes
Time Frame: 150 Days
Public Notice: Complaint
Judicial foreclosure: The only foreclosure process used in Ohio.
The lender must sue the borrower in court to obtain a judgment of foreclosure. The
defendant borrower is served with a complaint and summons by mail, or by publication
if the borrower cannot be located. The borrower then has 20 days to file an answer.
If no answer is received, a default judgment is entered.
Prior to the scheduled foreclosure date, three disinterested freeholders in the
county in which the property is located must appraise the property. The appraised
value must then be filed with the county clerk. The property must be offered for
sale at a minimum price of no less than two thirds of the appraised value.
Prior to the sale, the notice of sale must be published weekly for three consecutive
weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the property
is located.
The county sheriff will conduct the sale, and the property sold to the highest bidder.
The borrower has a statutory right of redemption until the sale is confirmed by
the court Redemption requires payment of the amount of the judgment, court costs,
and interest.
Deficiency judgments are allowed. There is a two-year statute of limitations to
collect in the event the judgment was rendered prior to confirmation of the sale,
and the property consists of two units or less.
Laws:
Predatory Lending Act:
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Section 1349.25. Definitions
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Advance-Fee Mortgage Foreclosure Scam
Law which regulates fair practices towards a consumer.
Examples of what has been viewed as predatory lending practices in Ohio:
"Loan flipping" - frequent refinancing of a loan to generate fees for the lender
without any economic benefit to the borrower.
"Equity stripping" - deceiving a homeowner into entering a loan agreement beyond
his or her ability to pay back the loan. This may result in the borrower's loss
of the home.
"Bait and switch" - the broker/lender's advertising of rates and fees that suddenly
rise just as the borrower arrives at the closing;
"Inflated appraisals" - falsely inflated property valuations that burden borrowers
with larger and higher-rate loans. The borrower cannot refinance the loan later
at a more manageable rate because the true value of the home is less than the amount
of the loan.
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Understanding the Process of the Sheriff's Sale
Bill Status:
