Worcester Rental Registry

[Brian J Allen]

There is a lot of talk of the Worcester Rental Property Registry right now and there have been many public meetings trying to figure out how it will work and if it is legal. 

Click here to know what is going on and what is going to be required.

The list of inspections is pretty exhaustive and covers a lot of things within the building and sanitary codes.

The city believes that it has a problem with many older buildings being in disrepair and not maintained by the owners.

The owners/landlords have issues with the city because they believe the city is overstepping its authority and does not have the right to inspect the buildings.

In the middle, we have the tenants who should have clean and safe apartments to live in. However, many of the issues that the City believes are a problem are created by the tenants, and the landlords do not have the authority to fix them.

Here is some sample language related to tenants in the proposed ordinance:

Tenant Behavior Ultimately, it is the landlord’s responsibility to police their tenants, whether through stipulations in the lease or other means. The behavior of the tenant will be a reflection of the property and the landlord. The landlord should ensure that all tenants know what is expected of them, whether it is when the rent is due, rules they must abide by to keep the property in a safe and sanitary condition, respecting fellow tenants, or generally just being a good neighbor.

I believe that the City has its proverbial head in the sand on this. Most owners want to be good landlords, and most are actively trying to address tenant issues. However, in many cases, it is the tenants that are the problem. Owners cannot get them out and have no support from the court system. When they cannot remove the tenants they can’t fix the units.

It is also an overreach, what the city could start with is helping the landlords deal with their tenants, perhaps starting some sort of arbitration system. The cost of trash removal is really a big burden on tenants, who in turn make that the landlord’s problem by keeping stuff in the halls, porches, and basements.