Staff outlines rental registration and inspection plan; program to start with registration and complaint/turnover inspections

Borough staff updated the Public Health and Safety Committee on a proposed rental-inspection and licensing program that would begin with a boroughwide landlord registration and proceed to targeted inspections by complaint or unit turnover.

"We're still working with our third-party building code enforcement and zoning officer to just finalize everything," said Emily, a staff member leading the proposal, who told the committee staff are also coordinating with the borough solicitor on legal aspects.

Under the proposal staff described, the first step would be creation of a rental inventory and a mailed letter to landlords and tenants with a registration form. Staff proposed a one-time initial registration fee of $25 per landlord, annual registration at no fee, and an inspection fee of $100 for each inspection. Inspections would be complaint-driven or triggered by unit turnover; staff said boroughwide inspections are not feasible with current staffing.

On enforcement, staff said they planned a tiered penalty system: initial noncompliance would prompt outreach and corrective assistance, repeat violations could trigger higher fines, and persistent failure to comply could lead to revocation of a rental license. Staff emphasized the intent to work with landlords to achieve compliance rather than to be punitive at startup.

Staff acknowledged several open-policy questions discussed by the committee: whether the program should exempt informal, immediate-family occupancies where no rent is paid; how to handle owner-occupied properties that are occasionally rented; administrative costs beyond inspection (record keeping, web forms) and an expected initial administrative lift while staff builds the rental inventory.

Staff said they expect to return with a formal recommendation in October after continuing to refine fee levels, legal language and administrative processes.

There was no committee vote; staff will continue work with enforcement partners and third-party code contractors before bringing a formal recommendation to committee and then to council.