Cleveland housing court judge outlines 2025 budget, describes tactics to hold out‑of‑state landlords accountable

Cleveland Municipal Court’s housing division administrator Judge W. Monet Scott presented the division’s 2025 budget and described operational changes the court says have reduced evictions and raised compliance among absentee landlords. Scott told the City Council Finance Committee the court has expanded virtual access, deployed kiosks in public libraries and trained housing specialists to mediate landlord‑tenant cases.

Scott said the court moved quickly at the start of the COVID‑19 pandemic, converting in‑person dockets to virtual hearings and using grant funds to buy equipment. “We chose Zoom as our virtual platform as it was the most user friendly when thinking about the public,” Scott said, describing technology and rule changes the court adopted in March 2020.

The judge credited city investments and local partners for reducing eviction filings since 2020. Scott said the division worked with Legal Aid and the United Way to connect tenants with right‑to‑counsel services and helped disperse rental assistance in 2020 that she said prioritized tenants at imminent risk of eviction.

Nut graf: The judge asked council to view housing court’s 2025 request in context of pandemic changes, a city “residence first” law and new certificate requirements for rental properties. Council members probed budget details — including a projected rise in salaries and benefits, a larger professional‑services line and whether the court has capacity to enforce evolving code and lead‑safety requirements.

Most substantive points

Out‑of‑state LLCs and enforcement: Scott said an important change in practice has been insisting that the owner or member of an LLC appear in criminal housing dockets rather than permitting property managers alone to handle plea agreements. She told council the court now requires the owner of an LLC — not a property manager — to come before the court on criminal housing charges. The judge said that step was meant to increase accountability where bulk owners or investors own multiple properties.

Residence‑first, CHIRO and lead rules: Scott described how recent local rules require rental properties to have a Certificate of Proven Rental Occupancy (CHIRO). To obtain CHIRO, owners must meet tax, registration and lead‑safety requirements. She said a court of appeals decision limited the court’s ability to adjudicate lead‑safe certificates, returning that enforcement step to the city’s Building & Housing department; the CHIRO requirement nevertheless incorporates lead clearance as part of the registration process. Scott said the mayor’s executive order shifting from a “lead safe certificate” to a higher‑level lead risk assessment has required some owners and certifiers to re‑do work, and that the court has largely seen owners comply when certificates were court‑ordered.

Access and language services: Council members asked about a jump in the division’s professional services line from about $49,000 in prior years to $225,000 in the 2025 budget. Court staff and Judge Scott attributed most of that increase to interpretation services, transcription fees for appeals, pre‑employment screenings, physical exams, parking and property‑record searches. Scott said interpretation demand has grown as property owners and tenants from abroad — she cited owners from France, China and Belgium as examples raised by council members — participate in dockets.

Staffing, vacancies and positions: The court’s budget packet recorded vacancies in 2024 and a request to budget for full staffing in 2025. Scott and the finance director told the committee the court expects to budget roughly 53 full‑time staff in 2025 (the court reported operating with fewer employees during 2024). Scott said part‑time magistrates were converted to full‑time positions to improve case handling and retain staff; the court also plans new or reclassified roles including additional full‑time magistrates and housing‑specialist positions.

Case handling and mediation: Scott said housing court has strengthened pretrial mediation, opened kiosks in public libraries, and cross‑trained housing specialists as mediators and probation officers to reduce evictions. She said rent escrow and tenant remedies have increased; move‑outs and eviction dispositions have fallen in part because more cases resolve in mediation or rent escrow.

Hoarding and mental‑health approach: Scott described a specialized caseload addressing hoarding disorders that combines code enforcement, mental‑health screening and social‑service partnerships. She said many hoarding defendants also have untreated mental‑health conditions and that the court orders evaluations and coordinates cleanups and services rather than rely on punitive measures alone.

Questions committee raised: Council members asked for clearer revenue and fine tallies from the clerk’s office (the court does not collect or retain fines — the clerk records payments), a line‑by‑line explanation of the jump in professional services, and detailed counts of separations and separation payments. Scott and finance staff agreed to supply follow‑up data to the committee.

What the court did not decide: The committee did not adopt any legislative changes during the hearing. Council members and the judge discussed changes council could enact — including clarifying registration and lead‑safety enforcement — but no ordinances were introduced or voted at this meeting.

Ending: Judge Scott said she welcomes continued council engagement around code enforcement prosecutors, Building & Housing capacity and funding for outreach and language access, and asked the committee to consider how legislation and city resources can sustain neighborhood stability while ensuring due process in housing cases.