Council extends short‑term rental deadline after landlord portal outage

Lambertville staff told the council that a technical failure in the SDL landlord registration portal blocked landlords from completing required registrations and that many users could not access property records in the system.

Lindsey (staff) reported that landlords who began applications could not finish because properties did not appear online and asked the council to consider a limited extension. “The deadline is on the 31st, so they’re all really panicking that they can’t get this completed,” Lindsey said, urging an extension for registrants already in process.

Council members discussed options including a one‑time extension for those demonstrably in the queue, accepting emailed or in‑person filings as a workaround, and stronger penalties for repeat noncompliance. One councilmember recommended a blanket extension to reduce administrative burden; another asked how staff would verify that applicants had been actively trying to complete their filings.

Staff noted interim workarounds: city hall will accept completed application materials by email or in person and staff will process payments once received. Council voted to extend the filing deadline for short‑term rental and landlord registrations to April 10, 2026 for applicants already in process; the motion carried by voice vote.

Council also directed staff to escalate the SDL issue with the vendor and to seek clearer service leadership from the vendor’s management to resolve repeated outages, noting the portal vendor has been undergoing system integrations following a corporate acquisition.