2015-05-19_HRA_Agenda_Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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To provide this information to property owners and tenants, three educational documents have been designed. The first will be mailed to registered property owners in advance of the annual registration renewal period. This document will advise property owners of the basic standards for residential rental properties and common violations. The second document will replace the certificate of registration, and will be required to be posted in each rental unit. This placard will reiterate the standards from the first document and provide information to the tenants about common maintenance and nuisance violations. The placard will also satisfy MN Statute §504B.181 subd.2(b), which requires landlords to notify tenants of the availability of the MN Attorney General’s handbook Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities. The final document will be mailed directly to the tenants of the registered properties, and will inform them about their landlord’s obligation to post the placard. Improving the efficiency of information gathering The primary reason the City began collecting information about residential rental properties was to facilitate contact with the owner or responsible party in case of problems. In furtherance of this goal, the registration program should be expanded to include all non-owner- occupied properties, not just properties being rented. Owners of these properties should be required to complete an application containing their contact information and indicating the status of the property in question: whether the property is vacant, operated as a state licensed group home, occupied by relatives, or rented. Further requirements would vary depending on the type of use. 1.For vacant and relative-occupied properties at which no rent is being collected, it is recommended that the registration process consist simply of completing the registration application, with no fee assessed.