North East begins Rental Registration/ Inspection Program
North East Borough officials have announced the start of an annual Rental Registration/ Inspection Program with the passage of Borough Ordinance No. 916. The Ordinance, aimed at curbing any unsafe or unsanitary rental housing stock, will take effect in June 2021. The Borough of North East in the 2010 Census had a 43% Non-Owner Occupancy rate and it is speculated that this number has increased in the past eleven (11) years. The Borough hopes to provide prospective homeowners and renters with safe, decent housing and this Ordinance is a tool towards achieving that goal.
Landlords will be required to register each of their rental units annually with the Borough and schedule property inspections to ensure minimal property standards are met. The Borough will require that all units are inspected prior to the issuance of a Rental Registration license. If a unit successfully passes two (2) consecutive inspections then that unit will not be re-inspected for another four (4) years. If a unit does not meet the minimal property standards outlined in the Rental Inspection Checklist then a re-inspection will be performed until the landlord corrects any outstanding violations. Upon correction of any issues, the Borough will pass the unit and re-inspect that unit again in two (2) years. Also, landlords must be current on all property taxes, water bills, sewer bills and garbage bills through the Borough, prior to a Rental Registration License being issued.
Borough Code Enforcement is scheduled to complete the Registration and Inspection program and is happy to work with any landlord about remedying any issue on their property in a fair and understanding manner. The program is not intended to punish landlords that provide a tremendous service to the community, but rather to ensure that the standard for safe and decent housing is raised to a higher standard.
A public meeting with all interested landlords and/ or members of the general public is being held on Thursday, May 27th at 5:30PM at North East Borough Hall: 31 West Main Street; North East, PA 16428. If you have any questions or concerns about this Ordinance, the program or the meeting, please feel free and contact Patrick Gehrlein- Borough Manager at (814) 725-8611 or at patrick.gehrlein@northeastborough.com