Official urges landlords to register apartments

Landlords in the town of Springfield who may have missed last week's annual deadline for them to register their apartments with the town should do so as soon as possible, the town's zoning administrator said Monday.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151006/NEWS02/710069941

Published October 6, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Official urges landlords to register apartments By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Landlords in the town of Springfield who may have missed last week’s annual deadline for them to register their apartments with the town should do so as soon as possible, the town’s zoning administrator said Monday. Bill Kearns, the administrative officer for the Planning and Zoning Department, said Monday there were 1,101 apartments registered with the town last year. Landlords have to re-register every year by Oct. 1. “I don’t want anyone to get fined,” said Kearns. “I don’t expect we’ll fine anyone as long as it’s listed as soon as possible.” There are a total of 3,800 residences in the town. The Springfield Select Board adopted the rental registry in 2014, with last October marking the inaugural registration period. He said the 1,101 apartments were in 245 different properties. Kearns said landlords can register in person, in the mail, or online. He said the online registration is faster and more accurate for the landlords and town. Kearns said some of the town’s biggest landlords, including the Springfield Housing Authority, have already registered. He said the registry uncovered about 200 apartments that the town was not aware of in the first year. He said the registry was enacted last year after concerns from the fire department about not knowing how many apartments were in any given address. Kearns said that a number of years ago, a young child died in an apartment fire near the town hall, and the fire department had no idea there was another apartment in the building. The list of the registry goes to the Vermont Division of Fire Safety. Kearns said the nonprofit housing authority has 300 of the 1,101 apartments, including the 60 apartments at the Huber Building, 72 in the Whitcomb Building, 28 at The Maples, 58 at Westview, 72 at Mountain View, nine at the Ellis Block, and a single-family home on Summit Avenue. He said the ordinance did not apply to owner-occupied rental properties. Kearns said registering for the registry can be done on the town’s website, www.springfieldvt.govoffice2,com. Go to the ordinances and regulations tab, then to a page entitled rental registry ordinance and follow the prompts. He said people who are already on the registry must update their information if necessary and also notify the town if there aren’t changes. Everything can be done online, he said.