Meeting with Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH)


CHANGES TO THE COVINGTON RESIDENTIAL RENTAL LICENSE PROGRAM


As the largest city in Northern Kentucky, Covington has thousands of residential rental units. As the Neighborhood Services Director, it’s my goal to see that all are safe and decent places for our citizens to call home. To that end, Covington enacted a rental license requirement in 2013 that required all rental properties to register with the City providing addresses and basic contact information for the owner and manager if applicable. The program also allowed interior inspections if exterior code violations indicated the likelihood of similar conditions on the inside. This license requirement was fairly effective, but it had several short-comings and only addressed some of the issues we encounter with problem properties. As part of a comprehensive look at rental housing, the


City enacted two new ordinances last year. The first addressed homeless shelters, boarding/rooming houses, and transitional housing. The second addressed short-term rentals commonly referred to as AirBnBs. Both of these required licenses and universal inspections. Both also required an annual fee to off- set the program costs. The City also made significant amendments to the 2013


Residential Dwelling Licenses ordinance. I wanted to take this opportunity to inform you, as members of Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association, about these im- portant changes that include: • The license term moves from annual to every three years, lessening the frequency with which landlords have to apply.


• It requires one license per parcel, no matter how many units are rented at that location.


• It changes the penalty from operating without a license from a criminal offense to a civil offense, with the fine for a first-time offense set at $250 (instead of potential jail time).


• It creates a small license fee to help pay a portion of the costs of inspections, starting at $30 (every three years) for a parcel that has a single rental unit and rising to $150 for 100-plus units.


• All licenses must be applied for by April 15th-the date that licenses issued under the previous version expire.


• The system will be automated using iWorQ software which allows much of the process to be done on line including com- pleting the application electronically and the ability to auto- matically send reminders and other important information to the landlords by email. As with the other rental regulations passed last year, this updat-


ed ordinance also requires universal inspections before a Residential Dwelling License can be issued. Because City staff does not have the capacity to perform all the necessary inspections at once, appli- cants will be granted a provisional license allowing inspections to be conducted in a staggered manner over the course of three years. Once a property receives a satisfactory inspection, the provisional license will convert to a regular license good for three years from the inspection date.


In terms of inspections, I want to take this opportunity to make


clear that the primary purpose is to ensure the properties are compli- ant from a sanitary and life-safety standpoint. Generally, our inspec- tors will not be focused on cosmetic issues or minor repairs. We’re trying to maintain a decent quality of life for renters in Covington while providing a meaningful service to those who rent out the prop- erty.


The City will have a “compliance” philosophy rather than a


“punitive” one, meaning our approach will be to make you, as the landlord, aware of code violations and give you an opportunity to fix them, rather than immediately resorting to fines or court action. And finally, we want to create reliable communications chan- nels by ensuring that the City has accurate contact information for property owners and managers. We want these changes to increase accountability and collaboration to the benefit of tenants, landlords, and the surrounding neighborhoods. More information, including our online application portal, https://covingtonky.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/covingtonky


or


calling Kim Strategier at 859-292-2167 or emailing rentallicenses@ covingtonky.gov


8 APARTMENT ADVANTAGE 31


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