Post by Freehold Resident on Sept 13, 2006 9:36:00 GMT -5
Council OKs inspections of private rental dwellings
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD - A property inspection plan has been discussed for some time, and now it is being implemented.
Borough Council members voted unanimously to approve the plan at their Sept. 5 meeting in Borough Hall.
Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said the property inspection plan has been under discussion by members of the town's Rental Advisory Committee for some time.
"In order to get a handle on all of our rental properties and to make sure they are safe and habitable, we need annual inspections and they will now be [done] pursuant to a plan," Higgins said.
Higgins said landlords will not receive individual notices about the inspections. The borough recently placed a notice about the rental property inspection program in the News Transcript.
According to the resolution passed by the council, the code enforcement department's Quality of Life Team has determined that in order to ensure the health and safety of the public, including tenants in unsafe housing units, it is necessary and proper to develop a property inspection plan through which every residential rental property in the borough is inspected.
Rental properties will be inspected annually, according to the plan, beginning on Aug. 1. Inspections will be conducted between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The resolution states that inspections will be conducted on a street-by-street basis in alphabetical order, according to the street name.
According to code enforcement official Hank Stryker, the inspection will focus on safety issues and include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, unsafe wiring and overloaded outlets/extension cords. The inspection will also address the safety of porches and stairs, and make sure exits are not blocked. Windows must be able to be opened. Unsanitary conditions and painting will also be addressed. The inspection will also make certain that all landlords have a proper certificate of occupancy for their tenants.
Stryker said the inspection will follow standards established by the Building Officials and Code Administrators.
The inspections to be carried out under this plan will be conducted on one- and two-family rental properties, according to Stryker. He said three or more rental units constitutes a multiple dwelling and falls under state jurisdiction.
The ability to legally perform these inspections falls under the borough's Landlord Property Registration program, according to Stryker.
Councilman Marc Le Vine, who is a member of the Rental Advisory Committee, said the initiative for an annual rental property inspection plan came out of committee meetings.
"We all agreed, based on Hank Stryker's overview of the situation, that an inspection plan makes sense," Le Vine said. "This plan gives all landlords an opportunity for fairness. It affects every rental property and every landlord falls under the plan."
Le Vine said the goal of the plan is to ensure that rental units are in compliance with borough codes.
"We need to protect our residents from a safety standpoint, making sure that all safety hazards are addressed," he said.
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD - A property inspection plan has been discussed for some time, and now it is being implemented.
Borough Council members voted unanimously to approve the plan at their Sept. 5 meeting in Borough Hall.
Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins said the property inspection plan has been under discussion by members of the town's Rental Advisory Committee for some time.
"In order to get a handle on all of our rental properties and to make sure they are safe and habitable, we need annual inspections and they will now be [done] pursuant to a plan," Higgins said.
Higgins said landlords will not receive individual notices about the inspections. The borough recently placed a notice about the rental property inspection program in the News Transcript.
According to the resolution passed by the council, the code enforcement department's Quality of Life Team has determined that in order to ensure the health and safety of the public, including tenants in unsafe housing units, it is necessary and proper to develop a property inspection plan through which every residential rental property in the borough is inspected.
Rental properties will be inspected annually, according to the plan, beginning on Aug. 1. Inspections will be conducted between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The resolution states that inspections will be conducted on a street-by-street basis in alphabetical order, according to the street name.
According to code enforcement official Hank Stryker, the inspection will focus on safety issues and include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, unsafe wiring and overloaded outlets/extension cords. The inspection will also address the safety of porches and stairs, and make sure exits are not blocked. Windows must be able to be opened. Unsanitary conditions and painting will also be addressed. The inspection will also make certain that all landlords have a proper certificate of occupancy for their tenants.
Stryker said the inspection will follow standards established by the Building Officials and Code Administrators.
The inspections to be carried out under this plan will be conducted on one- and two-family rental properties, according to Stryker. He said three or more rental units constitutes a multiple dwelling and falls under state jurisdiction.
The ability to legally perform these inspections falls under the borough's Landlord Property Registration program, according to Stryker.
Councilman Marc Le Vine, who is a member of the Rental Advisory Committee, said the initiative for an annual rental property inspection plan came out of committee meetings.
"We all agreed, based on Hank Stryker's overview of the situation, that an inspection plan makes sense," Le Vine said. "This plan gives all landlords an opportunity for fairness. It affects every rental property and every landlord falls under the plan."
Le Vine said the goal of the plan is to ensure that rental units are in compliance with borough codes.
"We need to protect our residents from a safety standpoint, making sure that all safety hazards are addressed," he said.
