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WILKES-BARRE — Landlords should check their mailboxes in the coming weeks for a letter from the city inquiring about their rental properties.
The first batch of between 1,000 and 1,500 letters is in the process of being prepared, said city Administrator Ted Wampole.
“I’d like to get them out by the end of the week,” Wampole said Tuesday.
Through mass mailings, the city is attempting to get a better handle on its estimated 6,400 rentals and collect data rather than solely rely on self-reporting by landlords in accordance with an ordinance that’s been on the books since 2004.
Wampole acknowledged the city hasn’t done a good job enforcing the ordinance and the response on its part has been reactive. “So we’re going to be proactive” to be fair to those who have been following the law, he said.
Many landlords comply, Wampole said, but there are some who either don’t know about it or ignore it and that costs the city revenue — $50 to license a rental and $75 to inspect it every two years or each time a new tenant moves in.
The city intends to notify everyone, but the letters are first going to out-of-town landlords. Billing information from the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority was used to identify the properties for the mailings, said Wampole.
“We’re not sure what the response will be like,” he said.
The letters were issued by Henry Radulski, director of the city’s Health Department, which is responsible for rental inspections. They direct those in compliance to notify his office to make sure city records contain the accurate information about the property. If letters are delivered to someone who no longer owns a rental property, they’re asked to notify the department so records can be updated. Newcomers are asked to complete the rental license and inspection application enclosed with the letter and return it to the city by Aug. 31.
From his experience, Steve Franco said the city has been fair with inspections and responsive. Franco, manager of Good People Good Homes LLC, has 16 rental units in Wilkes-Barre.
“It’s a pretty easy process. No landlord should fear it,” Franco said. The inspectors come in to check for items such as smoke detectors and make sure the property is safe.
“They’re not looking at housekeeping. They’re looking at safety,” noted Franco.
He’s heard from other landlords who say the inspection and licenses are added expenses. Some argue the inspections are a violation of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, he added.
And even others say inspections are included in their insurance coverage so the city shouldn’t do another one. “To me, they just can,” Franco said.
Besides holding landlords accountable, the inspections assure the safety of the renters, said Robert Collins Jr., president of the North End Residents’ Association.
“I think what it also does is it forces the owners to be more on top of their properties,” Collins said.
He agreed the letters would get the word out about the rules.
“I think this is an old law. We have a lot of new people that aren’t familiar with it. It’s a great way to be reminded or get acclimated,” Collins said.
