[Durham INC] A good read; a great idea

[Moises Rivera]

Raleigh getting something right... is worth noting...

(cross posting to OND; DUKE PARK; INC; PAC 2)



Rental registry appears to be on track in Raleigh
News & Observer, 1 May 2009

More than 42,000 rental houses and apartments have been registered with the
city in the past two months as part of a new program to improve
communication between the city and residential landlords.

Thursday was the deadline for rental property owners to pay an annual fee
and register their units with the city. Beginning today, landlords can be
fined $50 a day and up to $2,000 a month for not registering. The fines can
rise to $100 a day if the city learns that an owner has registered some but
not all of his rental properties.

But the city will likely give rental property owners another month before it
begins actively trying to identify those who have failed to register, said
Larry Strickland, director of the Inspections Department.

Raleigh estimates that there are 62,000 residential rental properties in the
city.

J. Ashley Glover, senior housing inspector with the city, said 42,974 units
have been officially registered. Glover said that number does not include
the heavy volume of paper registration forms the city received over the last
eight days, which have not been entered into the system.

The annual fee for each property is $30. Owners with more than one rental
unit in the same building pay $10 annually for each additional unit. So a
four-unit apartment building will cost $60 a year to register; three
separate single-family properties will cost $90.

The program will be used to create a database of all residential rental
properties in the city. Raleigh's police and inspections departments will
use the database to identify owners or managers of properties where there
are inspections violations or other incidents that draws the city's
attention.

The program is separate from the city's PROP, or Probationary Rental
Occupancy Permit, ordinance. But the city will use the database and the
money raised from registrations to help enforce the PROP ordinance, which
punishes landlords whose tenants repeatedly throw loud parties, let the
grass grow too high or store too many unlicensed vehicles on the property.

Fees from the registration program are expected to generate more than
$620,000 annually. The money will be used to cover the cost of creating and
maintaining the registration program, as well as expenses related to the
PROP ordinance and landlord education efforts.

The city hired two people to manage and update the rental database.
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