As used in this section:
(a) A "Certificate of occupancy" is a document issued by the Building Commissioner to the property owner after compliance with the Ohio Building Code and of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Maple Heights.
(b) "Designated City official" means the Building Commissioner or his or her designee.
(c) "Dwelling unit" means a space within a building or dwelling, comprised of a living, cooking and dining area, a sleeping room or rooms, storage closets and bathing and toilet facilities, including all appurtenant structures used by only one family.
(d) “Family" means one or more persons not necessarily related by blood, marriage, adoption or guardianship, occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single housekeeping unit, under a common housekeeping management plan based on an intentionally structured relationship providing organization and stability.
(e) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, two or more persons having a joint interest or any other legal or community entity.
(f) "Property manager" means a person, or persons, other than the property owner that has managing control of a rental unit, units, and or property on which the rental unit(s) are located.
(g) “Property Maintenance Code" means the most current edition of the International Property Maintenance Code amended and adopted by the City.
(h) "Property owner" means a person, corporation, or limited liability corporation claiming, or in whom is invested, the ownership, dominion, or title of real property including but not limited to: holder of fee-simple title, holder of life-estate, holder of leasehold estate for an interim term of five years or more; a buyer under contract for deed; a mortgagee, receiver, executor or trustee in control of real property; but not including the holder of leasehold estate or a tenancy for initial term of less than five years.
(i) "Rent" means the offering, holding out or actual leasing of a rental unit to an occupant other than the owner and generally involves the payment of a rental amount although other forms of consideration may be involved or no consideration at all may be involved.
(j) "Rental unit" means any dwelling unit; or any rented room within a single-family, two-family dwelling, duplex, the third floor of a two-family dwelling, duplex, multi-family building, apartment buildings, multi-family condominiums, commercial strip center(s), or commercially leased units where either money or other valuable consideration is paid for such unit, or for a person, who is not the owner of record occupying the unit, whether or not such person pays money or other valuable considerations therefor.
(k) "Use" means the purpose for which land or a building or structure is arranged, designed, or intended, or for which either land or a building or structure is, or may be, occupied or maintained.
(Ord. 2011-35. Passed 6-15-11.)