A. Any mortgagee who holds a mortgage on real property located within the City of Reading shall perform an inspection of the property to determine vacancy or occupancy, upon default by the mortgagor. The mortgagee shall, within 10 days of the inspection, register the property with the City's Property Maintenance Division on forms or website access provided by the City, and indicate whether the property is vacant or occupied. A separate registration is required for each property, whether it is found to be vacant or occupied.
B. If the property is occupied but remains in default, it shall be inspected by the mortgagee or his designee monthly until: 1) the mortgagor or other party remedies the default; or 2) it is found to be vacant or shows evidence of vacancy at which time it is deemed abandoned, and the mortgagee shall, within 10 days of that inspection, update the property registration to a vacancy status on forms or website address provided by the City.
C. Registration pursuant to this section shall contain the name of the mortgagee and the server, the direct mailing address of the mortgagee and the server, a direct contact name and telephone number for both parties, facsimile number and e-mail address for both parties, the folio or tax number, and the name and twenty-four-hour contact phone number of the property management company responsible for the security and maintenance of the property.
D. A nonrefundable annual registration fee shall be assessed as per the City of Reading Fee Schedule and shall accompany the registration form or website registration.
E. All registration fees must be paid directly from the mortgagee, servicer, trustee or owner. Third-party registration fees are not allowed without the consent of the City and/or its authorized designee.
F. This section shall also apply to properties that have been the subject of a foreclosure sale where the title was transferred to the beneficiary of a mortgage involved in the foreclosure and any properties transferred under a deed in lieu of foreclosure/sale.
G. Properties subject to this Part shall remain under the annual registration requirements of this section and the inspection requirements of this Part.
H. Any person or legal entity that has registered a property under this section must report any change of information contained in the registration within 10 days of the change.
I. Failure of the mortgagee and/or owner to properly register or to modify the registration form from time to time to reflect a change of circumstances as required by this Part is a violation of this Part and shall be subject to enforcement.
J. Pursuant to any administrative or judicial finding and determination that any property is in violation of this Part, the City may take the necessary action to ensure compliance as per this Part.