Home Equity Conversion (HEC).

Home Equity Conversions: Reverse Mortgages Home Equity Conversions: Reverse Mortgages Authors: Celia Ray Hayhoe, Ph.D, CFP®, Family Resource Management Cooperative Extension Specialist and Stacey Williamson, Graduate Assistant; Virginia Tech Publication Number 354-025, Posted April 2004 Many senior adults are finding it hard to live on their fixed retirement incomes and are looking for ways to supplement those incomes. For some, the largest asset they own is their home, but they do not want to sell their home and move. For these individuals, there is an option called Home Equity Conversion (HEC). One type of home equity conversion is a reverse mortgage. The equity or cash value of the house is used to provide income to repay the loan. All reverse mortgage options are not the same. They have different eligibility requirements, income amounts, timing of payments, interest rates, and/or initial costs. Homeowners should compare the different options, keeping in mind their goals and needs. Advantages The value of your house, not your income, is used to determine eligibility. You can receive a lump sum, a line of credit, or a monthly amount, without having to make a monthly repayment. You do not have to sell your home and move, and can continue to live in the same familiar surroundings. You do not have to worry about losing your home to foreclosure since the payments are made out of your equity in the home, not from your income. The loan must be repaid when the house is no longer used as your personal residence. However, the lender can only look to the proceeds from the sale of the house for repayment. They cannot go to your heirs if the house sells for less than what was borrowed. Money can be used for any purpose. You must attend a free HECM/HUD approved counseling session to see if this type of mortgage is right for you. Disadvantages Interest for a reverse mortgage is compounded, and cannot be deducted on income taxes until you repay it. The income you receive decreases the equity in your home, and the equity may not be adequate for your future needs or for your estate. Interest rates and initial costs (application fees, points and closing costs) are usually higher for a reverse mortgage than for other equity loans. Income ends when you sell your home or no longer use it as a principal residence. Payments may affect Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid payments. You must attend a free HECM/HUD approved counseling session. This may add time to the process of obtaining a loan. You may need to pay off your existing mortgage out of the proceeds of your reverse mortgage. You will be required to maintain the house, pay the taxes, and carry property insurance. Eligibility You could be eligible if you own your own home, use the home as your principal residence, and are at least 62 years of age. You must also have adequate equity in the home. A lender looks at the equity in the home plus any expected appreciation or depreciation in the value of the home to calculate a base amount. The costs associated with any reverse mortgage loan (application fees, interest rates, closing costs, initial charges, sales commissions, and homeowner's insurance) also must be considered. All reverse mortgages currently available in Virginia require homeowner's insurance. The lender and the homeowner must work together to determine the type of payment, the payment amount, and the time period. This is determined not only by the calculations of the base amount by the lender, but also by keeping your goals and financial needs in mind. Income Income from a reverse mortgage is not taxable, and will not affect Medicare eligibility or benefits. But the added income can affect both Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid eligibility and benefits for Virginia residents. Confused? A home equity conversion is not a home equity loan! Home-equity loans require that a homeowner has enough income to pay back the loan, and the payments are made in monthly amounts. A home-equity loan would not work for the majority of senior adults who are living on limited fixed incomes and who could not afford a loan payment. Example A wide variety of loan options are available depending upon your age, the amount of equity available, the time period of the loan, and the way payments are disbursed. For example, Mary Jones, a 75-year-old widow whose home is her principal residence, is looking at a ten-year reverse mortgage that will provide her with additional monthly income of approximately $450. At the end of the ten years the monthly income payment will stop. But because her loan is through an insured lender (loans offered by HUD approved lenders have government guarantees), the loan will not have to be repaid until she sells the home, moves, or dies. Home Equity Conversion Checklist These questions can to help you determine if you are eligible for a home equity conversion (HEC). YES NO 1. Are you 62 years of age or older? _____ _____ 2. Is your mortgage paid off in full or nearly so? _____ _____ 3. Do you use your home as your primary residence? _____ _____ If you have answered yes to questions 1 through 3, you might want to consult with an HEC lender for specific information. The following questions will help to determine if you are eligible for a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) home equity conversion. A HUD-HEC is similar to other HECs but with additional requirements for the property and residents. 4. Is your home a single-family dwelling? _____ _____ 5. Will your home probably meet HUD minimum property standards? _____ _____ 6. Is your family income less than 80% of area median? _____ _____ If you have answered yes to questions 1 through 6; you might want to consult with a HUD-HEC lender for specific information. The following is a list of HEC/Reverse mortgage programs. FHA - HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) Guaranteed by FHA/HUD Flexible Income Payment Option Growing Line of Credit Maximum Lending Limit - $ 280,749 Cash Account Flexible Income Payment Options Growing Line of Credit Higher Equity Release Options No Maximum Lending Limit HomeKeeper by Fannie Mae Guaranteed by Fannie Mae Line of Credit Options Maximum Lending Limit - $ 322,700 Zero Point Cash Account Closing Costs Limited Minimum Draw at Closing Required Interest Rate Cap No Maximum Lending Limit The following lenders offered HEC/Reverse mortgages as of March 2004: Mortgage Capital Investors Equity Division 6571 Edsall Road Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 941-0711 East West Mortgage - HECM, HK, CA 4321 Northview Drive Bowie, MD 20716 (866) 9REVERSE [(866) 973-8377] (301) 809-1568, ext. 225 Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corp. (Subsidiary of Lehman Brothers, FSB) - HECM, HK, CA (800) 368-3254 Reverse Mortgages of the Mid-Atlantic - HECM, HK, CA (800) 745-0102 Suntrust 564 Lynnhaven Parkway Virginia Beach, VA 23452 (757) 431-4876 Fidelity & Trust Mortgage, Inc. - HECM, HK, CA 7229 Hanover Parkway Suite C Greenbelt MD 20770 (703) 273-3797 (800) 458-4624 People's Choice Mortgage - HECM, HK, CA (757) 564-8596 Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - HECM, HK (888) 292-1180 Inclusion on this list of lenders does not imply endorsement by Virginia Cooperative Extension, nor does omission from this list imply a lack of endorsement. Home Equity Conversion Comparison Worksheet Name of Lender Features Payment Option: ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- Lump Sum Option Line of Credit Option Monthly Benefit Option APR (Annual Percentage Rate) Time Period Application Costs Closing Costs Sales Commissions Insurance Costs Other Initial Charges For More Information AARP Home Equity Information Center 601 E. Street NW Washington D.C. 20004 (202) 638-2863 http://www.aarp.org/revmort/ Reverse Mortgage Money (866) 363-1914 requestinfo@reversemortgagemoney.com American Credit Counselors Tudor Square, Ste. 10 211 Roanoke St. Christiansburg, VA 24073 (800) 926-0042 virginia@cccsswva.org http://www.americancredit.org HECM Counseling National Center for Home Equity Conversion 360 Robert Street North Suite 403 St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 222-6775 People Incorporated 1173 W Main St Abingdon, VA 24210-2428 (540) 623-9000 HECM Counseling Original authors: Patricia Gorman, graduate assistant, and Kathleen Parrott, former Extension housing specialist, Virginia View this document in PDF format Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension

Property Search

REALTOR.com: Real estate listings & homes for sale Welcome, Visitor! Sign Up to: Save Searches Save Listings Sign Up Now! Already a member? Sign In Homebuying Tools Find a Lender Find a Mover Market Conditions Neighborhood Tour Real Estate 101 Buyers Sellers For REALTORS® Resource Center News REALTOR.org Search the Web Select a Top Search: Bad Credit Contractors Homeowner's Insurance Debt Consolidation Interior Design Mortgage Rates Loan Types Rates Points 30-yr fixed 5.74% 0.37 15-yr fixed 5.38% 0.28 ARM 3/1, 30Yrs 4.87% 0.26 Updated: 12/29/2005 12:05:52 PM Check Local Rates Search our national directory of mortgage brokers and lenders. Find a Home Over 2.5 million listings for sale! State/Province AB AK AL AR AZ BC CA CO CT DC DE FL GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MB MD ME MI MO MN MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK ON OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VI VT VA WA WI WV WY - OR - Minimum Price $0 $500 $1,000 $1,400 $2,000 $5,000 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $45,000 $50,000 $55,000 $60,000 $70,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $325,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $600,000 $650,000 $700,000 $750,000 $800,000 $850,000 $900,000 $1,000,000 $1,250,000 $1,500,000 $1,750,000 $2,000,000 $2,250,000 $2,500,000 $2,750,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,500,000 $5,000,000 $6,000,000 $8,000,000 $10,000,000 to Maximum Price $1,000 $1,400 $2,000 $5,000 $10,000 $20,000 $30,000 $40,000 $45,000 $50,000 $55,000 $60,000 $70,000 $75,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $325,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $600,000 $650,000 $700,000 $750,000 $800,000 $850,000 $900,000 $1,000,000 $1,250,000 $1,500,000 $1,750,000 $2,000,000 $2,250,000 $2,500,000 $2,750,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,500,000 $5,000,000 $6,000,000 $8,000,000 $10,000,000 no maximum Beds 1+ Beds 2+ Beds 3+ Beds 4+ Beds 5+ Beds Baths 1+ Baths 1.5+ Baths 2+ Baths 2.5+ Baths 3+ Baths 3.5+ Baths 4+ Baths More Search Options Map Search Hurricane Relief Find or offer immediately available temporary housing to assist Hurricane victims: HurricaneHousing.net Relief.WelcomeWagon.com -- Find a REALTOR State/Province Alabama Alaska Alberta Arizona Arkansas British Columbia California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District Of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Manitoba Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming From the National Association of REALTORS ® Join REALTORS® in supporting hurricane victims Why Use a REALTOR® With a GRI? Make the most of every moment with FamilyTime, an interactive DVD celebrating the family. Visit REALTOR® Magazine Online Read current NAR Press Releases For REALTORS ® REALTORS Relief Effort exceeds $5.2 million for Hurricane victims, donate now... Enter the Business Success Zone at REALTOR.org! Find out how REALTOR.com can help you secure more listings, sell homes for more and promote yourself and your brand NEW name for NAR member benefits offeringsthe REALTOR Benefits(sm) Program. Learn about the practical, everyday solutions for your professional and personal life! Reach new levels of success with NAR partner, The Pacific Institute! About the National Association of REALTORS ® Representing Home Owners State & Local Associations Real Estate Specialty Organizations Find an Appraiser Find a Commercial Property International Real Estate Search in popular metros: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Chicago | Dallas | Denver | Houston | Las Vegas | Long Island | Los Angeles | Memphis | Miami | New York City | Orange County | Palm Beach | Phoenix | Sacramento | San Diego | Seattle Site Map | Corporate News & Info | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Join our staff Terms of Use and PrivacyPolicy . 1995- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS and Homestore, Inc. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity REALTOR.com is the official site of the National Association of REALTORS and is operated by Homestore, Inc. REALTOR -- A Registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Inquiries regarding the Code of Ethics should be directed to the board in which a REALTOR holds membership.

Colorado Real Estate :

Colorado Springs Real Estate agriculture antiques & collectibles art automotive beauty and fashion business to business computer & internet construction dining education employment entertainment featured sites film & video gifts government graphic arts greeting cards health & fitness home improvement hotels insurance jewelry kid stuff legal services money music new sites non-profit pets products real estate religion relocation senior citizens services shopping sports & recreation teen sites travel & tourism weddings & events Colorado Springs Real Estate Colorado Springs Mortgage Services Sub-categories in Real Estate : Agents and Agencies | Apartments and Townhomes | Appraisal and Inspections | Development | Home Warranty | Listings | Mortgage | Office Space | Planned Communities | Property Management | Relocation Services | Timeshares | Title Insurance More Colorado Real Estate : Aurora | Boulder | Canon City | Castle Rock | Denver | Englewood | Fort Collins | Grand Junction | Highlands Ranch | Lakewood | Littleton | Longmont | Manitou Springs | Monument | Parker | Pueblo | Thornton | Westminster | Wheat Ridge | Woodland Park real_estate page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 Found in Real Estate: Mortgage in Colorado Springs CO Colorado Springs Mortgage Services Featured link! Colorado Springs Mortgage Services has the experience to handle your mortgage needs. CSMS provides state-of-the-art processing services, the most complete range of competitive programs and hassle-free funding. By assisting you in prequalifying, CSMS can help you determine the right price home and make you a cash buyer. CSMS provides financing options for all credit grades serving our customers, REALTORS® and homebuilders. 24/7 online loan approval! Now serving 48 states, not just Colorado Springs real estate. Colorado Springs Mortgage Services PAGE STATUS: 9.13 FIRST LISTED: 10/21/2003 TOP Found in Real Estate: Agents and Agencies in Colorado Springs CO Choice REALTORS® Featured link! Find the home you want! Rely on a proven REALTOR® who is qualified to guide you in buying or selling your next home. Use our experience in finance, contracts, negotiating, and marketing to your best Colorado Springs real estate advantage. Choice REALTORS® PAGE STATUS: 9.12 FIRST LISTED: 9/1/2002 TOP Found in Real Estate: Property Management in Colorado Springs CO Sunflower Management Featured link! Property management is all we do, from resident screening to move out cleaning. Sunflower Management dedicates itself to providing the highest quality services to all our clients. We provide full property management services, including comprehensive resident screening and leasing, advertising, property evaluation, lease enforcement, investment analysis, and capital project planning. Let us prepare a review and comparison of our Colorado Springs real estate management services for your property. We will show you how we can put your investment to work for you. PAGE STATUS: 9.01 FIRST LISTED: 9/7/2005 TOP Found in Real Estate: Relocation Services in Colorado Springs CO Colorado Springs Real Estate Featured link! Use this site to explore El Paso County communities and find the neighborhood that fits your likes and priorities. This site has extensive community information, consumer links, school information, free reports , real estate answers, Colorado Springs info and more. Colorado Springs Real Estate PAGE STATUS: 9.00 FIRST LISTED: 9/1/2001 TOP Found in Real Estate: Agents and Agencies in Canon City CO Homes of Southern Colorado Featured link! For BUYERS and SELLERS in Canon City, Florence, Penrose, and Mountain Areas. Complete set of online search tools and calculators. KEYWORDS: Canon City Real Estate, Florence Real Estate, Penrose Real Estate, Fremont County, El Paso County, Royal Gorge Country. Homes of Southern Colorado PAGE STATUS: 8.00 FIRST LISTED: 5/15/2005 TOP Found in Real Estate in Woodland Park CO Woodland Park, Colorado Springs Realtor Featured link! The most comprehensive web site available for real estate in the Woodland Park, Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Colorado area. If you are looking to buy or sell a home, you have come to the right place. Homes For Sale, Real Estate, Realtor, Agent, Real Estate Agent, Brian Lloyd, Real Estate Broker, Relocation. KEYWORDS: WOODLAND PARK COLORADO WOODLAND PARK Homes Real Estate For Sale Woodland Park Colorado Springs Colorado Realtor Teller County Divide Pikes Peak Colorado Springs Real Estate Woodland Park, Colorado Springs Realtor PAGE STATUS: 8.00 FIRST LISTED: 1/20/2005 TOP Found in Real Estate: Timeshares in Hampton NH Timeshares Sell rent or buy timeshares on the timeshare resale market at prices far below vacation resort prices! Click for timeshare news . KEYWORDS: timeshares - timeshare - time share - time shares - timeshare resales - timeshare resale - sell timeshare - buy timeshare - vacation - resorts - rentals Timeshares PAGE STATUS: 7.10 FIRST LISTED: 10/11/2005 TOP Found in Real Estate: Listings in Colorado Springs CO Colorado Springs Townhomes Choice REALTORS® provides listings including all of the available town homes in Colorado Springs. Sherry Romero CRS, GRI Colorado Springs Townhomes PAGE STATUS: 7.01 FIRST LISTED: 1/18/2004 TOP Found in Real Estate in Colorado Springs CO Top Producer Amy Secundy Can Help Dedicated to assisting you with one of the most important steps in your life! Call today - 719-238-2255 Top Producer Amy Secundy Can Help PAGE STATUS: 7.01 FIRST LISTED: 2/3/2005 TOP Found in Real Estate: Listings in Colorado Springs CO 35 Ravenglass Way This property is set against the magnificent beauty of Cheyenne Mountain and surrounded by both natural and manicured landscaping. This Acuff & Rhodes Columbine model boasts 5355 sq. ft., 5 bedrooms, three bathrooms & a 3-car garage. 35 Ravenglass Way PAGE STATUS: 7.00 FIRST LISTED: 1/8/2003 TOP Found in Real Estate: Development in Colorado Springs CO Acuff Homes High quality - well designed homes. 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Investment Property Projects Offices

Addison read - Romanian Property Investment Romania Home About us Properties News Contact us Romania or Bulgaria ... exciting property investment opportunities.. learn more about.. ADDISON READ ROMANIA REQUESTS FOR PROJECT PROSPECTUSES Romania Property Market Land Price Guide - 2005 Bucharest residential market supply & demand Investment - Commercial property Residential property - New build Foreign ownership of land in Romania Martha Bibescu - Villas - New build project Representative projects South-East Europe drives growth in the New Europe REPORTS Addison Read Brochure pdf Romania Property report 2005 pdf PROPERTY MARKET Industrial Parks in Romania Bucharest office market Business Park -Bucharest Business Park - Iride GENERAL REPORTS GDP comparison - ro - hu - bg - cz Relocation services Cost of living Indices by country / Descending order Detailed report - Bu News Commercial Investment Property Projects Offices 34 office buildings are already under construction to be ready during 2005 or 2006. 21 office buildings will be completed in 2005 and 13 during 2006. Kardan from Israel intends to build 26,000 square meters of A class offices, project value of 50m . America House under construction is well located at Piata Victoriei now a focus of Bucharest's office developments. The Israelis have also developed Europa House, which, on completion was sold to the Austrian property fund Europolis. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) intends to place 15m in Romania and 150 million in the area. In this regard, it recently launched an investment fund for CEEE to be called Watani Central European Real Estate Fund. The assets targeted by the fund include A class offices, commercial areas and logistics to be let to international companies. The Belgium company Liebrecht & Wood is currently negotiating several important projects. They will enter the office market in Bucharest with a 20,000 square meters building, an investment estimated at 20m-22m . "The land is fully owned by Liebrecht & Wood, and the building and development authorisations are in progress. The new Liebrecht & Wood project will be composed of four buildings with a surface of circa 5,000 square meters each, connected to one another. It will have an excellent location and whoever will come to Bucharest would not miss it, declared Johan Rogiers, managing director with the company. Warehousing Liebrecht & Wood will also develop a warehouse project, called the Bucharest Logistic Centre located in NW Bucharest on the ring road. For a first development phase, Liebrecht & Wood is negotiating the rental of the site with a potential client. The third Liebrecht & Wood project in Romania refers to the Bucharest Industrial Park, located in the Eastern Bucharest close to the Bucuresti-Pitesti motorway. Liebrecht & Wood also holds a 25 hectares land, but they did not decide on its destination yet. Autoker Holding, one of the most important real estate and logistics companies in Hungary is indenting to enter the Romanian market by building office buildings in a first phase. "Although we continue with the projects in Budapest, we started to look for investment opportunities in Romania, Poland Czech Republic and Ukraine as well. As it is risky to enter into residential projects on new markets, we will probably start with investments in office buildings:, declared Ehud Amir, the company president, quoted by Budapest Business Journal. Business Opportunities and Development Projects The Israeli investment fund Africa Israel Investment bought a 121,000 square meters plot last month for which it paid 9m . Here they intend to build a residential complex in Bucharest. Four international companies will jointly develop the largest logistics centre in Romania, Cefin Logistic Parc, which will be spread on 30 hectares in close to Bucharest, next to the Bucuresti-Pitesti motorway. The development of the project estimated at 75m will be the responsibility of the Romanian division of the Italian group Cefin specialising in real estate investment ad the Austrian Europolis will provide the funding via a loan contracted from HVB Bank Romania. The building of Cefin Logistic Park will include several phases for the next three years. The centre will have 13 hectares and it will include distinct units of at least 2,500 square meters each. European Future Group, UK, is targeting eight potential investments totaling 150m . But, everything is at the intention level. The American Apollo Real Estate division, last year's leader in terms of CEEE investment, plans to invest up to 150m in Romania. 11 new shopping centres will be built in Bucharest The real estate companies confront a great number of retail projects, but 11 projects are a certainty for Bucharest. There will be three new hypermarkets, a Cora in Drumul Taberei, a Kaufrand in Colentina and a Carrefour in Baneasa. 5 new malls will be built: City Mall on Sos. Oltenitei, Concorde Mall in Rahova, Esplanada oposite the Pasajul Marasesti, Sun Plaza at the crossing between Vacaresti and Oltenitei, Metropola at Eroilor. They are added three shopping parks two in Baneasa and one in Otopeni. Major Projects The Esplanada project includes the development under a Public-Private-Partnership, in the central Bucharest, of a multifunctional complex with several malls, office buildings, residential buildings and 10-20 floors hotels, the development of a pedestrian area and commercial spaces on circa 10 hectares in central Bucharest. The total investment for this project to start soon will exceed 800m. Projects in negotiation Other projects represent an intention. The real estate company Meinl European Land, registered in the UK, has planned investments of 100m in Romania, declared Nadine Gilles, representative of the company. "We are currently negotiating to purchase several retail projects in Romania with a value exceeding 100m". They mainly target projects in the commercial sector and potentially industrial developments. Other investments of the company in Romania are targeting the extension of the Military shopping centre. "The project could be extended on approximately 150,000 square meters. The extension will be done depending on the demand, step by step, in the following years". The Militari shopping centre, which Meinl bought last year from Liebrecht & Wood for 20m, is the first investment of the company in Romania. Jurnalul - 6 APRIL 2005 If you are interested in a Property Investment with High Capital Growth Check out why Romania's property market has Europe's highest investment potential Why Invest in Romanian Property Addison Read's Romanian Brochure For more information contact: Addison Read Romania 5 Intr. Temisana Street Apt. 4 Bucharest 010795 Romania Richard Prior email Richard Tel +40 722 304 773 Phil Stapley email Philip Tel +40 743 145 443 Fax: +40 21 232 6737

House Rent

Renting a House RENTING A HOUSE If you rent a house, rather than an apartment, you'll have some additionalconcerns: Lawn care and snow removal will probably be your responsibility. City codes require that lawns be mowed. If you think the landlord is providing either of these services, make sure your lease says so. Garbage hauling is not a municipal service in Champaign-Urbana. Unless your lease says that the landlord provides and pays for hauling, you'll have to call a private hauler and arrange service. Look in the yellow pages under "garbage." (Note: references in your lease to sanitary fees are for the sewer system, not for garbage hauling). Don't assume the garage comes with the house; make sure the lease says you are renting the "house and garage." If the house has no garage but you plan to park in the driveway, make sure the lease says Lessee may park in the driveway at no extra cost. Be sure the lease states the number of bedrooms in the house, especially if any bedrooms are in the basement or attic. If any area containing bedrooms becomes unfit for habitation while the rest of the house is still habitable, you'll be in a better bargaining position with your landlord if you can prove that the uninhabitable space was leased to you for living and sleeping purposes. Zoning laws prohibit more than four unrelated adults from living together in a single family home. The tenants, as well as the landlords, can be held liable by the city for violating the law. Enforcement is complaint-driven. If you live in Urbana near the U of I campus, or if you live anywhere and annoy your neighbors with noise or illegally parking cars on the lawn, you are a likely target for enforcement. See section of this handbook on " Zoning ." Be especially careful about including in your lease a list of all appliances that the landlord will "provide and maintain." Don't assume the washer and dryer in the basement will be repaired by the landlord if one breaks down. They may have just been left in the house by previous tenants. Protecting your deposit is a bigger job with a house. Many tenants report being charged at the end of the lease for leaving trash in the yard, damage to a porch, lawn care, cleaning out the basement, etc. Both when you move in and when you move out, you should take photographs of the basement, attic, front and back yards and the porch , in addition to photographs of walls, floors, insides of oven, fridge and cabinets and all fixtures. Damage deposit refund law does not cover houses (except in the City of Urbana). If the house is in Champaign, Savoy or anyplace other than Urbana, be sure your lease states the time period for refund of the deposit and requires the landlord to provide you with an itemized statement of damages within a certain time period. A sample clause appears in the section of this handbook on signing a lease. Return to Home Page Return to Table of Contents