Cleveland Housing Court

Housing Court – Justice Beyond the Four Walls of the Courtroom
“The Housing Division of the Cleveland Municipal Court is now in session.” These are words you normally would hear inside
Courtroom 13B at the Justice Center – the heart and home of the Housing Court. But today, these words are being spoken in the
living room of a dilapidated single family home in the City’s Slavic Village area. The Housing Court Judge, his bailiff, City prosecutor
and the public defenderr stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the defendants, a middle-aged couple who own and live in the house; the
court reporter operates her stenographic machine seated on a kitchen chair.
The hearing in this Housing Court case was held at the request of City Councilman Tony Brancatelli, whose ward includes the
Slavic Village neighborhood—an area often referred to as the epicenter for the foreclosure crisis.
invited us back.”
violations. They also added new siding, new trim and landscaping, restoring some of the home’s previous grandeur. The Court’s
ultimate goal of code compliance was reached.
in hand.
Beyond Evictions
The Court’s problem-solving mission is priority in the civil
cases that it hears. Eviction cases comprise the bulk of the
Court’s civil docket. Ohio law requires that eviction cases—
formally known as forcible entry and detainer actions—move
quickly through the court system. To meet this requirement
and still provide a complete hearing for related claims, the
Court splits these cases into two causes of action—the
dealing with money damages and counterclaims. First cause
hearings provide magistrates with the opportunity to refer tenants
to available social service programs. The Court has established
processes to connect seniors and those with disabilities to the
a tenant is elderly or disabled, he or she is able to refer the
and for connection to other available resources. The Court also
mediation services just beyond the doors of courtroom.
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