The Revere City Council is considering a change in how it inspects and registers rental units in the city.
Monday night, the council held a public hearing on an ordinance establishing a new unified rental registry and inspection program.
Under the new ordinance, there would be one registry for every rental unit in the city, with a $25 registration fee per unit. The registry would also establish a new inspection cycle, with inspections every five years for units, rather than on the turnover of units, and implement a fine schedule for violations.
The ordinance is headed to the council’s legislative affairs subcommittee before coming back before the full council for a potential vote on adoption.
Revere Fire Chief James Cullen sent a letter in support of the ordinance proposed by Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio.
“Implementing this program is a vital step forward for our community by allowing the fire department and city inspectional services to actively monitor rental properties and rooming houses,” stated Cullen. “The city can ensure proactive oversight rather than reactive enforcement. This ordinance introduces crucial safety and health protections for our local renters, ensuring that all housing units meet modern code standards.”
Further, the fire chief said the registry is necessary for first responder safety, providing accurate, up-to-date information about the occupancy of buildings.
Ellington Street resident Michael Tucker said he also supported the ordinance, noting that it would streamline the current inspectional process across all city departments.
However, several residents said that the ordinance could put a burden on landlords, especially senior citizens on fixed incomes, who may only have one or two rental properties.
“This proposed ordinance will affect all landlords, not just large property owners, but also small property owners who may only have one or two rental units,” said Sigourney Street resident Joanne Giannino.
Giannino said she was especially upset by the fines these smaller landlords could face of over $400 per day if they were found in violation of the ordinance during an inspection.
“Most importantly, I positively do not want to put my name on a registry, my name, phone number, email address and other personal and private information that can be listed and that can be accessed by anyone who wanted to go on the registry,” she said. “I think it is a disgrace and I feel really strong about this, and I hope that before you vote on this, you really do read it and consider how it will affect the people who own two-family, three-family … think of the areas you live in, you know who will be affected most, it won’t be the large apartment buildings.”
Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley said she did like some aspects of the proposed ordinance, but added that she was concerned about the elimination of inspections upon the turnover of apartments, as well as the $5,000 cap on registration fees for owners of large rental developments.
“When you reach the 200 units, the registration fee is capped at $5,000 no matter how many units above 200 they own,” said Kelley. “That means that larger property owners could pay substantially less per unit than smaller property owners. Further, seniors on fixed incomes could face devastating costs if inspections require substantial property modifications with no city financial assistance available.”
Argenzio noted that the current inspection protocols for rental units have been in place for over 50 years.
“While I cannot speak on behalf of every member of the city council, many of us have contacted inspectional services on behalf of constituents who have raised concerns about potential rooming houses, illegal apartments, and unsafe housing conditions,” said Argenzio. “The new ordinance will provide ISD (inspectional services) with a more effective means of identifying rental properties and establishing a reasonable inspection schedule to help ensure that these properties meet applicable safety and sanitary standards. The intent is not to displace tenants or unfairly penalize landlords, rather, it is to (to promote) safe housing, protect residents, and establish a consistent, proactive approach to rental property oversight.”