January 7, 2009
On shaky ground
SUN INVESTIGATION
On shaky ground
Baltimore's arcane system of ground rents, widely viewed as a harmless vestige of colonial law, is increasingly being used by some investors to seize homes or extract large fees from people who often are ignorant of the loosely regulated process, an investigation by The Sun has found.
ON SHAKY GROUND
How ground rent holders pursue claims
A ground rent holder can file an ejectment lawsuit in Baltimore City Circuit Court to seize a house if payments are more than six months overdue, and if the holder received no response to a certified letter to the property owner's "last known address."
ON SHAKY GROUND
The new lords of the land
Paul W. Nochumowitz describes himself as a bail bondsman who takes home $14,000 a year and is bankrupt.
ON SHAKY GROUND
Demands for reform
As they put up houses for sale, some Baltimore entrepreneurs are reviving an old practice to make new profits.
