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WILKES-BARRE &ndash; City council will vote next week to amend the tenant and rental unit inspection requirements that are aimed at making all buildings and neighborhoods safer.
Butch Frati, the city&rsquo;s director of operations, said inspections will now be in line with the city&rsquo;s health department regulations and the building codes.
&ldquo;It will remove the ambiguity of the old system,&rdquo; Frati said. &ldquo;It will take the gray areas out of inspections and every department will be on the same page.&rdquo;
The city has been using a point system, Frati said, that had too many loopholes. He said the point system made it difficult for inspectors to shut a building down for some violations.
&ldquo;There were incidences where we couldn&rsquo;t shut a building down, but if the health department was called in, they could,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had to change our procedures.&rdquo;
Mayor Tom Leighton said the change had to be made.
&ldquo;We want to protect the safety of tenants and property owners,&rdquo; Leighton said. &ldquo;We want to assure that people are taking care of their property.&rdquo;
Frati said rental properties are re-inspected every two years. The city is divided into two zones &ndash; Zone 1 is north of South Street and Zone 2 is south of South Street. Marc Murphy, the city&rsquo;s senior rental inspector, said the city keeps track of when properties are due for inspection. When a unit in a rental building becomes vacant, the landlord or building manager must notify the city to inspect the unit before it is rented again.
&ldquo;This is harder for us to keep track of,&rdquo; Frati said. &ldquo;Landlords are supposed to come forward, but that doesn&rsquo;t always happen.&rdquo;
Frati said if a landlord fails to comply and the city finds out, fines start at $500 per unit. He said most landlords are responsible and follow the city&rsquo;s rules.
&ldquo;The condition of these buildings not only affects the people living in them, but the neighbors as well,&rdquo; Frati said.
Murphy said in the case of absentee ownership, each rental property must have a manager living within 20 miles of Wilkes-Barre.
&ldquo;Non-compliance results in fines that start at $500,&rdquo; Murphy said.
Murphy said city inspectors usually issue citations for the lack of smoke detectors and poorly wired outlets. He said landlords are given a specified time to make the corrections before fines are imposed. In instances of serious violations, like sewage leaks, exposed wiring, fire hazards, safety hazards and health hazards, a building can be shut down and posted until repairs are made. Landlords are responsible to find housing for tenants until they building is brought up to code.
The cost of a city inspection is $35 per unit, Frati said. A license to operate a rental property is $35 per building.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a small cost to make sure a building is safe,&rdquo; Frati said.
Dan Lavery is a property manager for out of town investors. He manages 130 units in and around the city. He said he welcomes the new inspection system.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s very much needed to bring consistency to rental properties,&rdquo; Lavery said. &ldquo;The idea is to make them safe for the people living in them. Overall, absolutely it&rsquo;s a good idea.&rdquo;
Tony Minnino moved to Ashley eight years ago from New Jersey. He said he owns several buildings in Wilkes-Barre and throughout Luzerne County.
&ldquo;This is a good idea,&rdquo; Minnino said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m all for Wilkes-Barre. I want to see the city cleaned up; the goal is to improve the town. Too many landlords don&rsquo;t do what they&rsquo;re supposed to do.&rdquo;

To read the proposed ordinance, visit www.times
leader.com

W-b Set To Tighten Landlord Rules