The City of Youngstown’s message to Landlords of unregistered properties

[AllanY2525]

I hope I did not come across as being a pessimist in my first post to this thread.. landlord
registration IS a good thing, as long as there is some sense of fair play, and some "give and
take".

I think that anyone on this board who has seen my website will agree that I trying my best
to help make Youngstown a little bit better, one property at a time.  I've already put considerable
work into the one property I have that is occupied and producing a little rental revenue - so far,
the vast majority of the money generated by this property has been put right back INTO the
property because of the shape it was in when I bought it.

The second floor apartment had a major "face lift" in March, with all the hardwood floors being
refinished, a new bathtub installed (contractor job), two ceilings and two walls removed, insulated
and replaced, some electrical work, and paint and plaster work throughout the entire unit, repairs
to the old windows, and some replacement of damaged wood work.

Now, the third floor apartment is empty, and my property manager and maintenance guys will
be going to work soon, fixing up this unit before it is rented.

It is NO easy task to find good tenants in the city of Youngstown, for many reasons (the economy
being number one on the list) and a lot of landlords will be hard-pressed at first, with regard to fixing
up their properties and bringing everything up to code, etc - but it does have to happen if the
neighborhoods are going to get any better.

I just wanted to clarify my position on the whole issue of landlord registration - I did not mean to
sound like a case of "sour grapes".  The revenues generated by the registration program will,
HOPEFULLY, provide a means for the city to hire more inspectors - so that they can take things
to the next level with ALL property owners throughout the city, NOT just landlords.

[Youngstownshrimp]

When I took over our family rental property in Virginia, the values of rentals were as high as the value of a homeowner here.  Reason, the housing court adhered to the landlord tenant laws on the books.  If a tenant signed a lease, took "possession" and agreed the house was in code, they were made liable for any damage other than wear and tear.  I could not understand when I was a landlord why the City always hauled in the investor, then I realized the majority in Youngstown are takers and the politicians depend on their vote every election.  This is why I and many others divested and will never invest in rentals in this climate of unfairness, iwasthere. 

Until the the City makes investment in real estate an equal playing field, we will always have real estate worse than zero, the worst investment, a BIG liability.

[northside lurker]

I didn't get a letter from the city.

[Rick Rowlands]

Did all city residents receive letters about registering rental properties a few months ago?  I got one, and I was confused as to why I would get one since I don't own rental property.   What if a Youngstown property owner is incorrectly placed on their landlord list and is fined?  Are property owners to be considered guilty until they prove that they are not a landlord, or does the city have to prove that in fact the property owner is a landlord? 

[northside lurker]

These inspections protect the landlords as much as the tenants. After a landlord registers a property and it recieves a clean bill of health from the city, the property owner now has proof that their property was completely up to code before being destroyed by problem tenants. This is a powerful tool that landlords can use to protect their assets should they seek to collect for damages caused by tenants.

Try this link http://arcserver.phelps.ysu.edu:8399/rpis_mahoning/
You'll need to zoom in on Youngstown in order to activate the Registration layer.

How accurate is that map?  I'm amazed at how few of the rentals in my neighborhood are registered!

[Youngstownshrimp]

The City won't , the tenants are their voting block.

[AllanY2525]

I mailed in my registration form - and paid the "fees".  I personally know of a couple
landlords who are going to be in BIG trouble the first time the city inspectors come
out and look at their properties - they're basically going to be shut down and put
out of business......

Now, lets see what the city of Youngstown has to say about bad TENANTS....


Oh... FYI - the link in the post below is a dead link.....

[jay]

The City of Youngstown's message to Landlords of unregistered properties, TIME'S UP!

The City of Youngstown has a message for all of the landlords who have not registered their rental properties-TIME'S UP and you will be fined $100.00 a week until the property is registered.  The City already has a list of landlords that will be receiving the fines effective Monday, October 4, 2010.  The due date for registering properties was August 15th.

"We recognize that this is a new program and we have been giving landlords time to comply with the registration requirement.  We knew that getting every rental property registered was going to be a process.  With less than 1,500 rental properties licensed, many landlords will face fines", says William D'Avignon, Youngstown CDA Director. 

Properties that have registered are listed on the Regional Property Information System (RPIS) http://cfweb.cc.ysu.edu.psi.rpis.html.  All residents are encouraged to check for properties in their area and report suspected unregistered addresses to our office.   Information can be e-mailed to rpr@cityofyoungstownoh.com  or mailed to the Rental Property Registration Office at 9 West Front St., Suite 315, Youngstown, Ohio, 44503."   

The Mayor of the City of Youngstown, Jay Williams, says about the program,

"This program came about as a direct response to concerns our citizens expressed over many years.  There is a collective and unwavering determination to achieve success.  We're getting calls daily from people who want to confirm the status of their neighboring rental property.  Their cooperation has been critical to us, and we want to encourage everyone to keep it up!  It is tremendous to see our residents so engaged in our efforts to improve our neighborhoods.  We welcome the cooperation and participation of those responsible landlords who are complying with the law and we will work with them appropriately.  However, for those landlords who choose to violate the law, well then consequences await.  The bottom line is that at a minimum, every resident in Youngstown deserves decent, safe, and sanitary housing.  Any landlord who disagrees with that philosophy should not be doing business in our city."

Maureen O'Neil, The Rental Property Registration Administrator says that "The best way to help is to e-mail or mail the Rental Office a list of properties that you know or suspect may be rental properties.  You do not have to include your name, but if you feel comfortable doing so, also include your contact information.  The people we would most like to encourage to phone us are tenants.  We will not notify your landlord that you have contacted us.  If you have web access, check to see if your unit is registered, if it is not, call us.  If you do not have web access, you can call us."   E-mail address for the RPR Office is rpr@cityofyoungstownoh.com.  Phone is (330) 742-8833.  Address for mailing is 9 West Front Street, Suite 315, City of Youngstown, OH 44503. 

"One of the greatest challenges that we knew we would face is that many of these properties are not in compliance with the requirements of the Rental Program", says Councilperson Janet Tarpley.  "Fear of fines for non-compliance has certainly kept some landlords from registering their properties.  However, the City would like to alleviate some of these fears by letting landlords know that we are dealing with these properties on a case by case basis.  When a landlord shows an honest attempt to be responsible, he or she will be met with a cooperative Rental Property Registration Office that will manage timelines for improvements.  If, however, you do not register your property or if you do not cooperate by making repairs, we will strictly enforce this ordinance and you will face fines."