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Mt. Pleasant officials are re-evaluating the borough's ordinance governing inspections of residential rental units.
Council agreed this month to suspend enforcement and penalties until Sept. 1 for properties not in compliance.
“The ordinance has been a controversial ordinance for a while,” said borough manager Jeff Landy.
The ordinance — originally passed in 2010 and amended in 2012 — requires property owners to register their residential rental units and provide information to the borough about their tenants, among other details about the units. A property owner who lives more than 20 miles outside of the borough is required to designate a “local agent” under the ordinance.
Safety inspections of residential rental units are required once every two years before the borough will issue an occupancy license. Inspections costing $50 are conducted by the borough engineering firm, K2 Engineering, said Councilwoman Cindy Stevenson. Borough officials are working with members of the Greater Mt. Pleasant Area Landlords' Association LLC on the revamp.
“I think it's not quite ready for public viewing yet, but we're making progress,” Stevenson said at a borough council meeting Monday.
Landlords are still required to follow the ordinance while it is under examination, but they won't be subject to fines that range from $300 to $1,000. There are about 800 renter-occupied housing units in Mt. Pleasant, according to 2015 census figures.
“I think there could be a reasonable, acceptable conclusion to this,” said Gerard Rendine, president of the landlords' association.
The group unsuccessfully sought a court injunction on the 2010 version of the ordinance in 2012. A Westmoreland County judge ruled that the 2010 version of the ordinance did not violate constitutional or landlords' rights. The association has not stopped pushing back against the amended ordinance in the years since. Rendine said the group's main problem is with the inspections inside of rental units.
“We promote good landlords; good landlords promote good tenants,” he said.
Any changes to the ordinance must be approved by council.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374 or rsignorini@tribweb.com.
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