2011-10-18_packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

REQUEST FOR HRA ACTION Date: 10/18/11 Item No: 10.b. Staff Approval: Agenda Section: Action/Discussion Items Item Description: Discussion Regarding Rental Multi-Family Properties (HF 113) Background The Roseville HRA established the Citizen Advisory Group in May 2006 with the specific purpose of reviewing options on how to potentially license rental units within the City of Roseville. The 14- member Citizen Advisory Group held 6 two-hour meetings throughout the summer. The group reviewed data, heard from codes, building, police and fire staff as well as reviewed other ordinances and their effectiveness. The Citizen Advisory Group, supported by the HRA, recommended to the City Council, among other things, that an ordinance be drafted and adopted requiring a Rental Registration Program be established for single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, quads, townhomes, and condos. The Citizen Advisory Group did not recommend any licensing or registration for larger multifamily developments. In March, 2008, the City Council approved an ordinance requiring single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, quads, townhomes, and condos that were rented to register with City. No inspections (interior/exterior) are conducted as part of the rental registration. The rental registration requirement has created a database of information on properties that are being rented and up-to date contact information regarding the owner and/or the property manager. In 2010, the RHRA Board and City Council affirmed continuing the rental registration program without licensing and inspections as part of the program. As part of the 2011 Work Plan, the RHRA Board indicated that the idea of rental licensing for larger apartment complexes should be explored. Staff agrees that we need to have some level of licensing for the larger apartment buildings in Roseville. The information collected as part of the licensing will assist the City in making contact with the appropriate person to deal with any problems with the property. (Similar to the rental registration program for single-family homes, etc.). However, staff feels that requiring inspections as part of any licensing of apartment buildings is not the best course of action, namely because of the amount of resources and staff needed. Staff is also not convinced that inspections will necessarily guarantee sanitary, safe, and well run apartment buildings. Inspection programs can often turn into a cat and mouse game, where deficiencies are noted, several communications are made with the owner to compel them to make the corrections, the minimum correction is made at the last moment, and the cycle repeats itself. (See Attachment A describing several Twin Cities municipalities efforts to get a landlord into compliance). Instead, staff would suggest a different approach. The City of Rochester recently adopted an ordinance requiring landlord licensing. Staff would like to pursue a similar ordinance requiring landlords/property owners and property managers to receive a license from the city in order to rent out apartment buildings. The landlord licensing would allow Roseville to collect the contact information for the owners and property managers. In addition, the landlord licensing program will allow the city Rental Multi-Family Discussion