AMHERST — A residential rental bylaw that has given Amherst officials better information about where rental properties are located could be in for revisions that would include mandated regular municipal inspections to ensure proper upkeep.
Eight years after the bylaw went into effect following adoption by Town Meeting, members of the Town Council are researching whether there is a way for the town to have better oversight of properties, especially those rented to college students.
At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke, joined by District 1 Councilors Michele Miller and Cathy Schoen, District 3’s Jennifer Taub and District 4’s Pam Rooney, recently wrote a memo to their colleagues alerting them to their exploration of adjusting the bylaw implemented in 2014, with the first work likely including an increase in fees so that the program’s personnel and administrative costs can continue to be self-funding.
Hanneke said the town charges $100 per parcel, meaning that multi-apartment properties such as apartment complexes are charged the same amount as a single-family home rental. This charge would go up to $250 per parcel, with a discount back to $100 for owner-occupied rental properties.
The current program brings in $107,800 per year and has covered the costs of creating a database of rentals and increasing staff in the inspections department, including a housing code enforcement officer and an administrator to process permits.
If the new fees go into effect, the town would collect $252,100 from its 1,078 rental properties, with 116 qualifying for the owner-occupied rate.
While the existing bylaw requires housing stock to be habitable and code compliant, no town employee verifies this to be the case, with an honor system for landlords that includes submitting a self-certification checklist and parking plans, and providing information about who owns and manages the property
Since its adoption, the bylaw has depended on a complaint-driven process for any enforcement.
The councilors examining the bylaw are considering transitioning to a system that will take more time and require additional staff, but would ensure properties are getting regular inspections.
This process would necessitate creating a charge for inspections, with a $150 inspection fee being contemplated, according to the councilors’ memo.
“This proposal institutes a fee for all inspections undertaken under the authority of the bylaw,” they write.
Councilors are expected to begin discussing the changes at the council’s meeting on Monday.
