Apartment owners in Pittsburgh next year must pay a $12 annual fee for each rental unit, under a registration program City Council adopted Thursday. The ordinance requires apartment owners to pay to register their addresses, number and types of rentals. All information the city will keep in a confidential database.
Jim Eichenlaub, director of government affairs for the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, told council the ordinance is an intrusion on individual privacy and civil rights. "It appears that this database is going to become the city's 411 for rental properties in the city," he said.
A few apartment management companies reached in Pittsburgh said they'll comply with the registration fee, which is akin to occupancy fees charged by many towns near Pittsburgh.
For example, Penn Hills charges $25 per unit in multi-family residences. Pittsburgh's ordinance takes effect July 1, and the deadline to register is Sept. 30. Those who don't register face a $1,000-per-unit penalty. The law exempts owner-occupied units.
Councilman Dan Deasy sponsored the legislation with the intent of holding landlords accountable for the upkeep of their properties. City inspectors bearing building code citations sometimes have difficulty tracking down owners of derelict properties, particularly student housing in Oakland, Deasy said. Councilman Jim Motznik said the ordinance will improve city residents' quality of life. "The No. 1 problem in our neighborhoods are slum landlords," he said.
Council President Doug Shields noted that the measure does not require tenants to provide their Social Security numbers, though a previous version of the bill did. Shields said the move will help the city do its job as tax collector. "This is an additional means to ensure that taxes due by residents of the city of Pittsburgh are paid," Shields said. The bill passed 7-0. Councilwoman Tonya Payne was not present for the vote.
Source: PittsburghLive.com