Council lowers first-year fees for rental property registration

Council lowers first-year fees for rental property registration

The Charles City Council approved final rental unit registration prices for the new landlord ordinance during a special hearing called on the council’s workshop night.

All property registration for this year comes due on Nov. 1, which is an extension deadline for the first year of the program. After this year, property owners will be required to register by Oct.

31 for a permanent, year-long permit that runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31. The yearly registration rate is set at $25 per unit/per year.

The council approved a series of prorated rates Monday night, to help landlords who had already registered for the year pay smaller fees depending on how recently their registration was filed.

“If somebody registered in July, they are paying $8 as opposed to somebody who registered in December,” Diers said. “It helps keep us fair and get that on a schedule.”

The council also heard that new rental properties that open up in the middle of the year will submit their information to the city, but will not register until October of that year.

“You’re not going to be in a situation where you pay for a full year and in six months you pay another full amount,” Diers said.

Diers added that the ordinance change has been well-received among property owners.

Previous ordinance drafts allowed landlords to receive a “temporary” permit before going through an inspection process, which city officials said made it harder for staff to administer efficiently. A lack of a set deadline also added problems, with some landlords registering throughout the year and beyond the anticipated fall season.

By Kate Hayden khayden@charlescitypress.com