Relocation Assistance

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of any acquisition project is relocating residents, businesses and personal property. This requires monumental document preparation, extreme attention paid to stringent federal regulations and diplomatic negotiations with property owners who are being displaced. The Sendero team has specialized in relocation assistance and can offer clients the expertise that can only be gained by years of on-the-ground experience with a variety of relocation projects.

The process is far too complex to be briefly summarized; however it involves preparation of a relocation plan far in advance of initial contact, interaction with appraisers and conducting research of comparable properties in the area. Once that is completed, the Sendero agents begin the delicate task of preparing offer letters, contacting property owners and tenants to explain the relocation assistance process and what benefits they will be eligible for and when, while simultaneously documenting and tracking all contact and activities to assure compliance with the Uniform Act. Among those required tenants are:

·         To provide uniform, fair and equitable treatment of persons whose real property is acquired or who are displaced in connection with federally funded projects
 

·         To ensure relocation assistance is provided to displaced persons to lessen the emotional and financial impact of displacement
 

·         To ensure that no individual or family is displaced unless decent, safe, and sanitary (DSS) housing is available within the displaced person's financial means
 

·         To help improve the housing conditions of displaced persons living in substandard housing
 

·         To encourage and expedite acquisition by agreement and without coercion To provide uniform, fair and equitable treatment of persons whose real property is acquired or who are displaced in connection with federally funded projects
 

·         To ensure relocation assistance is provided to displaced persons to lessen the emotional and financial impact of displacement
 

·         To ensure that no individual or family is displaced unless decent, safe, and sanitary (DSS) housing is available within the displaced person's financial means
 

·         To help improve the housing conditions of displaced persons living in substandard housing   

·         To encourage and expedite acquisition by agreement and without coercion    

Each relocation project presents different and complicated issues, requiring agents who are professionally trained, experienced and sensitive to the needs of the property owner, while also skilled in adhering to schedules and budgets. Sendero agents are certified in relocation by the International Right of Way Association and maintain these credentials by attending course updates on a regular basis.