Own a house in serious need of repairs, that has been condemned, and/or holds little or no value? The Cuyahoga Land Bank considers taking donations of unwanted single- or two-family houses and, on a case-by-case basis, also considers donations of commercial properties and vacant lots. The Cuyahoga Land Bank can accept donations based on the ability to rehabilitate the property or to otherwise make it productive. Please review the donation guidelines and complete a donation application to request donation of an unwanted property.
Property Donations
Ready to let go of your burden property?
The Cuyahoga Land Bank reserves the right to decline any donation application.
Property Donation Guidelines
- The Cuyahoga Land Bank does not accept occupied properties. Donations of properties that are not single- or double-homes are considered solely on a case-by-case basis and, for such properties, other conditions may be considered beyond those described in these guidelines.
- A Donation Application must be submitted to the Cuyahoga Land Bank along with a non-refundable $200 application fee (money order payable to the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp.) Payment of this fee does not guarantee that your application will be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
- A title examination will be ordered by the Land Bank on all properties being considered for donation. We do not accept properties where the title exam indicates that there are existing liens or mortgages.
- An interior and exterior inspection of the property by CCLRC staff or its vendor(s) is required to determine if the property is a candidate for renovation or if there is another productive end-use for the property. In order for your application to be considered, you will need to provide access to the property to our staff and/or vendor(s).
- If the inspection indicates that the property is not a candidate for renovation and needs to be demolished, the Cuyahoga Land Bank will, as a condition of our acceptance, require that the donor pay a $10,000 demolition fee as part of the closing.
- Any assessments or other costs that have been incurred by a municipality on proposed donation properties must be reimbursed by the donor to the municipality prior to the donation. Costs include, but are not limited to, property maintenance costs and water and sewer fee obligations.