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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; City officials have sent out a second wave of letters to landlords in an effort to update the number of rental properties and their inspection status.</p><p>The mass mailing of approximately 1,000 letters last week targeted people locally and in Pennsylvania, said City Administrator Ted Wampole.</p><p>The first wave of nearly 1,500 letters went to out-of-state landlords in late July. By mid-September, a total of approximately 6,400 will have been mailed.</p><p>City Hall wants to better quantify how many rental units there are, whether they are licensed and when they were last inspected.</p><p>An ordinance requires landlords to register their properties and the city depends upon the fees of $50 per building and $75 per inspection every time a new tenant moves into a rental unit for general fund revenue. But Wampole said those requirements have not been enforced well, and the letters are a pro-active step to tackle the issue and be fair to those landlords who comply with the ordinance and pay the fees.</p><p>The letter includes a rental license and application for return to the city&#8217;s Health Department/Rental Inspection Division.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s been pretty good,&#8221; Wampole said of the response.</p><p>&#8220;Once the response has died down, we send the next batch out,&#8221; he added.</p><p>The letter directs landlords to contact the Health Department if the property was inspected within the past year, if it&#8217;s not a rental or if they are no longer the owner. Landlords who have not registered or had inspections are asked to return a completed application by Aug. 31 so that an inspection can be scheduled.</p><p>Henry Radulski, the city&#8217;s Director of Health, said the initial mailing drew more than 100 responses by phone, mail and in person.</p><p>&#8220;Of those just a little over 100, approximately 15 requested a rental inspection,&#8221; Radulski said. &#8220;Many of the other ones made us aware of the fact that it was owner occupied, they were living in there.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wampole </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Wampole-1-cmyk-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wampole </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre mails second round of letters to landlords