No person shall occupy, and no owner or resident agent shall permit a person to occupy, a residential rental unit, unless the Building Commissioner has issued a Certificate of Rental Registration for such dwelling structure which certificate has not expired, been revoked or otherwise become null and void.
(a) Every owner, operator or resident agent of a single-family dwelling or transient rental that is a rental unit, as defined in this section, shall obtain a Certificate of Rental Registration no later than December 31 of the year immediately prior to the year for which the Certificate shall be applicable, or if such dwelling becomes a rental unit at any time during a calendar year after January 1, then within thirty days after the dwelling is occupied as a rental unit. Every owner, operator or resident agent of a single-family dwelling that has been a rental unit, at any time within the previous twelve months, shall obtain a Certificate of Rental Registration or shall submit an Exemption Form, no later than December 31 of the year immediately prior to the year for which the Certificate or Exemption shall be applicable. Once an Exemption Form is submitted and approved, no further submittals for a Certificate or Exemption shall be required unless the dwelling becomes a rental unit.
(b) Every owner, operator or resident agent of a multiple dwelling unit shall annually obtain a Certificate of Rental Registration if one or more dwelling units in the dwelling is a rental unit, or shall annually submit an Exemption Form if no dwelling units in the dwelling are rental units, no later than December 31 of the year immediately prior to the year for which the Certificate or Exemption is applicable. If one or more units of a multiple dwelling unit becomes a rental unit at any time during a calendar year after January 1, then within sixty (60) days after the unit shall become a rental unit, the owner, operator or resident agent shall submit an updated Application for a Certificate of Rental Registration, or obtain a Certificate of Rental Registration for a unit for which an Exemption Form had been or should have been submitted.
(c) Application for a Certificate of Rental Registration or submission of an Exemption Form shall be on the form or forms supplied by the Building Commissioner, and shall include such information as the Building Commissioner determines is necessary to determine compliance with applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations for the existing use or occupancy or the intended use or occupancy. An application is considered submitted and complete only when all information required on the form is accurately, legibly and fully provided and when the fee required in this chapter is paid. Such information shall include, but need not be limited to, the following, as applicable:
(1) The name, address and telephone number of the owner(s) of the property;
(2) The name, address and telephone number of the resident agent or manager of the property if one; a twenty-four hours telephone number must be provided for emergency situations arising at the rental property and posted at the rental unit;
(3) The address of the property and the number of rental units contained within the property;
(4) The current name, business address and telephone numbers, of the person(s) occupying the rental unit, and the address or other identification of the rental unit which they occupy;
(5) Whenever an address is required herein, a post office box number may not be provided as the sole address;
(6) Verified acknowledgement the rental unit has a working smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector and is further in compliance with all city ordinances, state and federal laws, including but not limited to the Fair Housing Act.
(d) The Building Commissioner shall issue a Certificate of Rental Registration for a rental unit or units if found to be in compliance or substantial compliance with the provisions of this Chapter and all other laws, ordinances, rules and regulations applicable thereto. The Certificate of Rental Registration shall not be valid beyond December 31 of the calendar year in which it was issued.
(e) The Building Commissioner may deny an application for a Certificate of Rental Registration or revoke a Certificate of Rental Registration if any false statement is made by the applicant in connection with the issuance of such Certificate, if the owner, agent or person in charge of a structure fails to comply with any applicable provisions of the Fire, Health, Zoning, or Building Codes.
(f) Every application for an annual Certificate of Rental Registration submitted on or before February 1 of the year for which the Certificate of Rental Registration is required, or within thirty days after the dwelling unit becomes a rental unit, shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee as follows:
(1) For a single-family rental or transient rental: fifty dollars ($50.00);
(2) For a condominium rental: fifty dollars ($50.00);
(3) For a two-family rental: seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per structure;
(4) For a three-family rental: one hundred dollars ($100.00) per structure;
(g) The fee for an application for a Certificate of Rental Registration submitted after March 1 of the year for which the application is made, or more than thirty days after a unit becomes a rental unit, shall be as follows:
(1) For a single-family rental: one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00);
(2) For a condominium rental: one hundred dollars ($100.00) per unit;
(3) For a two-family or three-family rental: one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) per rental unit.
(h) There shall be no fee for submission of an Exemption Form if submitted by February 1 of the year for which the Exemption is applicable. The fee for submission of an Exemption Form submitted after February 1 shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) per dwelling structure.
(i) If no application for a Certificate of Rental Registration is submitted when required by this Chapter, the Building Commissioner shall charge the owner or operator the fee set forth in this Section.
(j) The City shall reinstate a Certificate of Rental Registration that has been revoked when the owner, operator or agent has done all of the following:
(1) Submitted a new application for a Certificate and paid the appropriate application fee;
(2) Paid the reinstatement fee, which shall be fifty dollars ($50.00), in addition to the appropriate application fee; and
(3) Successfully completed any procedure required by the Building Commissioner, under the rules and regulations established as permitted in this Chapter, by which the owner has demonstrated that the property has been brought into substantial compliance with the City Codes that were the basis of the revocation.
(Ord. 16-94. Passed 6-7-16; Ord. 19-13. Passed 3-19-19.)