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<br />St. Paul Pioneer Press 111/24/2005 I Hopes are high for rental licensing <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Subscriber Services <br /> <br />Search Ci:' Recent News <br /> <br />News <br />Local & State <br />Nation & World <br />Columnists <br /> <br />Politics <br />Business <br /> <br />Life & Home <br />Entertainment <br />Outdoors & Leisure <br />Travel <br />Obituaries <br /> <br />ONLINE EXTRAS <br />i Interactive <br />, Watchdog <br />, Special Reports <br />; Weblogs . <br />Pod casts <br />Past Articles <br />. Coupons <br />, Maps & Directions <br />: Newsletters <br />. Traffic Reports <br />Weather <br />Yellow Pages <br />i Discussion Boards <br />: Print Edition <br />l ~~~.~p,aJ?:.~,,~.~~ ..". <br /> <br />SITE SERVICES <br />, <br />. Place an Ad <br />: C;;~ta~t.Us <br /> <br />, RSS Feeds <br />. Feedback <br />: Help <br />: Media Kit <br /> <br />TwinCities.com <br />PIONEER PRESS <br /> <br />Posted on Thu, Nov. 24, 2005 <br /> <br />Hopes are high for rental <br />licensing <br /> <br />City, owners alike aim to fix problems <br /> <br />BY MARl CELLA MIRANDA <br />Pioneer Press <br /> <br />Starting next year, Burnsville will require a rental <br />license for all rental properties - a license owners <br />could lose if they violate city codes or permit crime <br />on their sites. <br /> <br />Page 1 of2 <br /> <br />Current: 480 <br /> <br /> <br />45'" i 24" <br /> <br />Complete Forecast <br /> <br />.,..~ <br />..:." )<,."""',',:'.." <br /> <br />HM <br /> <br />m,nr <br /> <br />I "'"I email this J3 print this @i] reprint <br /> <br /> <br />City officials hope the license will give the city a <br />stronger tool to prosecute negligent property <br />owners. The law also will provide an easier way to <br />evict unruly tenants. Within the 60 multi-unit rental G <br />properties in Burnsville, only a handful of them are <br />problematic. But at the ones that are, police respond to multiple calls and spend thousands of d <br />reported Police Chief Bob Hawkins, who supports the law. <br /> <br />"It's a good tool. It's a good product," Hawkins said. <br /> <br />The City Council unanimously passed the law this week. The council will review the rentallicen: <br />again in six months and in a year to see if it's helped problems at those properties, said Jake SI <br />Burnsville licensing coordinator. The license is free for property owners unless they violate city' <br />ordinances. All rental properties will be required to have a license beginning in January. <br /> <br />With the license law, the city created a voluntary program, called Safer Tenants and Rentals (S <br />rewards rental properties for abiding by the law. The program is modeled after the city's Best PI <br />Program for tobacco vendors. As a member, properties will have reduced costs for STAR mark, <br />code violations and license fees. There are three tiers of membership, each requiring more corr <br />as attending housing meetings, allowing the city to be involved in tenant evictions and access tl <br />reports. Owners also will receive police reports of incidents at their properties. <br /> <br />Council Member Liz Workman said she was skeptical about the need for a rental license law, b, <br />180" after hearing concerns from landlords fighting battles in court against bad tenants com mitt <br />Workman also didn't agree with the idea of charging landlords for the license. She's now satisfil <br />outcome. <br /> <br />"I like the fact of the philosophy that it's yours to lose," Workman said. "We'll get the bumps and <br />the way - and that's OK. It's something different." <br /> <br />http://www.twincities.comlmld/pioneerpress/13246758.htm <br /> <br />11/28/2005 <br />