(a) Rental Permit Required. All residential property within the City of Belpre owned for rental purposes or occupied by a party other than the owner for a period of more than six (6) months during any single calendar year, require a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit from the Safety Service Director. Traditional motels and hotels are excluded from the necessity of obtaining a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit. Non-traditional (long-term) rentals in hotels and motels are not excluded.
(b) Application. To obtain a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit, the owner of a rental dwelling or rooming house, as defined in this code, shall apply to the Safety Service Director of the City of Belpre. A Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit shall be issued by the Safety Service Director if, upon inspection of the rental dwelling or rooming house, it is determined that the rental dwelling or rooming house meets the requirements of this code. Such an inspection shall be made within thirty (30) days after said application has been made. Upon application for a permit, the owner of a rental dwelling or rooming house may rent or lease the premises at his or her own risk, subject to the subsequent approval of the permit. The Director shall deny the issuance of a permanent permit to any owner or operator whose structure does not, within a thirty (30) days, comply with this code. Any permit granted or issued under the terms of this code to an owner or operator may be suspended or revoked at any time by the upon satisfactory proof of violation of any provision pursuant to this code or which could have been grounds for failure to issue an original permit. Any person who feels aggrieved by such denial may pursue the remedies as outlined in Section 1313.07
of this code (Housing Appeals Board). If a permit is suspended or revoked after a hearing as provided in Section 1313.07
, said permit shall be surrendered to the Code Enforcement Office within five (5) days of notification of such suspension or revocation.
(c) Zoning Certification Required. Any person applying for a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit shall include zoning compliance verification.
(d) Maximum Occupancy. The Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit shall state the maximum number of persons who may occupy the rental dwelling or rooming house as determined by this code and other ordinances of the City.
(e) Authorized Agent. No Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit shall be issued or received unless the applicant designates, in addition to himself or herself, an agent for the receipt of process pursuant to this code. Said agent must be designated in writing on the application for said permit. Such agent must reside within Belpre County.
(f) Notice of Change of Ownership. Any person selling or otherwise relinquishing ownership or control of a rental dwelling or rooming house for which a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit has been issued shall notify the Safety Service Director of said change in ownership within five (5) days of the effective date of the transfer. Such notice shall be in writing and shall include:
(1) The name and address of the new owner
(2) The name and address of the previous owner, and
(3) The agent for the new owner as required under the provisions of subsection (e) hereof.
(g) Expirations and Renewals. Every Rental Dwelling and Rooming House Permit shall be renewed annually on January 2.
(h) Fees. The annual fee for a Rental Dwelling or Rooming House Permit shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per residential unit. Nothing herein contained shall prohibit the owner of a dwelling used for rental purposes from treating all the required inspection fees as a normal business expense incidental to the renting of property and, therefore, an appropriate consideration in the determination of debt. A permit issued after July 1 shall pay half the annual fee for that year.
(i) Display of Permit. It shall be the responsibility of the owner, operator or agent of a rental dwelling or rooming house to give notice of his or her permit from the City of Belpre to tenants in one of the following authorized methods prior to the commencement of a rental term with said tenant:
(1) Place upon all written rental agreements the following notice: This rental dwelling (rooming house) has receivet a permit from the City of Belpre for the period of (date) to (date) for not more than (number) occupants. Be advised that both landlords and tenants have certain responsibilities to each other as are set forth in the Housing Code. Copies of said Code can be obtained at the Office of the Safety Service Director, Belpre City Hall, Belpre, Ohio, or on the city's web site.; or
(2) If the rental agreement is oral the owner, operator or agent shall deliver to the tenant a written statement and notice as is described in paragraph (1) above on or before the receipt of any monies from the tenant under said oral agreement.
(j) Suspension and Reinstatement.
(1) At the end of the time allowed for correction of violations cited, the Code Inspector, lacking sufficient documentary evidence of compliance, shall reinspect the rental dwelling or rooming house. If the inspector determines that such conditions have not been corrected, he may issue an order suspending the operating permit. Any person whose permit to operate a rental dwelling or rooming house has been suspended sball be entitled to a reconsideration of the order by the Housing Appeals Board in the manner herein provided. If no request for reconsideration or appeals reaches the Housing Appeals Board within fourteen (14) days following receipt of an order of suspension, the permit shall be revoked, except that prior to revocation any person whose permit has been suspended may request reinspection, upon a showing that the violation or violations cited in the notice have been corrected.
(2) When the owner or agent has been ordered by the Code Inspector to correct violations that may exist in a dwelling, the Inspector shall reinspect the property to verify compliance with the original order. If additional inspections are required, due to non-compliance, a fee of ten dollars ($10.00) shall be assessed to the owner for each additional inspection. A reinstatement fee shall be ten dollars ($10.00).
(Ord. 49(98-99). Passed 7-12-99.)