Wayne County Wants To Make Some Renters Home Owners

DETROIT (WWJ) - Homes are on the cheap in Wayne County and there are thousands of them.

WWJ's Sandra McNeill reports that Wayne County is offering residents a chance to buy some homes headed for foreclosure, for as little as $500.

Wayne County Treasurer Ray Wojtowicz says his office will go door to door to make the offer to renters who are living in homes that are behind in their taxes.

"A person must prove to us that they are bona-fide residents, who unfortunately, I'm presuming, have been paying their rent to somebody, who apparently did not pay their delinquent taxes, and therefore the property is judged to be delinquent," said Wojtowicz.

He says with so many foreclosed homes, mostly in Detroit, the offer just makes sense.

"When a parcel that is residential is adjacent to another parcel that is well-kept etcetera, that vacancy will cause blight. And it does, we know it does, and we are trying to avoid that, so it's better to have a home with occupants maintaining  it and paying their dues responsibly," said Wojtowicz.

Wojtowicz says proof of residency can include; an authorized State I.D. card, drivers license, a cable or utility bill would be reviewed for the process and a determination made, followed up with an offer to qualified individuals.

The renter has to agree to  be monitored for two years to make sure the property is kept up and the taxes are paid.