Pittsburgh landlords will soon have to register their rental properties and submit to regular inspections by the city under a new program, officials announced Tuesday. The program, which was approved by City Council in November, will begin to take shape in May.
Structures built prior to 1978 — or structures with portions built before that time — will also be inspected for lead dust.
City officials said the aim of the program is to “ensure that rental properties meet the minimum standards for safe living conditions.”
“Pittsburgh is a majority renter city, and that is why programs like these are essential,” said Mayor Ed Gainey in a statement. “Rental Registration is the first step to ensuring that all of our residents have access to housing that is healthy and safe.”
The city has been trying for 14 years to establish inspection requirements and a registry of rental properties. A legal battle between landlord groups and the city has prevented previous iterations of the program from moving forward. Lawsuits have contended that the program’s fee structure was too high.
Legal representation for the landlord groups could not be reached by WESA Tuesday. The program set to launch May 29 has a lower fee structure than previous iterations.
The new fees are $16 per registration, $5.50 per parcel and $14 per unit. The revenue will cover the costs of inspection and travel. If a property is not subjected to an inspection in a given year, the landlord will only be responsible for the annual registration fee.
Affordable housing units and owner-occupied units are exempt from the registration fee.
The program goes into effect in late May but landlords will have until December 31 to register. Inspections will occur at least once every five years.
Advocates of the registry argue it will protect renters from absentee landlords who have allowed properties to fall into disrepair. District 3 Councilor Bruce Kraus, a longtime supporter of the program, said he’s glad it’s “finally” going to happen.
“I just don’t know why a competent and qualified landlord would want to push back on inspections,” he said. “We want to make sure that everybody is living in clean, safe and up to code housing. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.”
Kraus argued that renters who live in buildings owned by absentee companies will have an easier time resolving issues, thanks to the program. Out-of-state landlords will need to designate a local agent — who must be based in Allegheny County — to respond to complaints or city inquiries.
Kraus said that part is key for his constituents in neighborhoods including the South Side, Oakland and Allentown, where many properties are owned by limited liability companies.
One of his constituents has been living with a broken furnace, according to Kraus, and has been unable to get her landlord to repair it.
“She’s tried every level of government,” to resolve the problem, he said. “We found that the landlord was an LLC in Florida [and we] could not find a way to reach them.”
Action Housing, an affordable housing nonprofit, helped the woman replace her furnace, according to Krauss. But he argued they shouldn’t have had to.
“When did that stop being the responsibility of the building owner?” he asked.
Landlords whose properties are found to violate the standards set forth by the city will have 30 days to resolve the issue or face a fine.
Lead dust inspections required by the program would help the city establish a record of buildings with lead paint, according to District 8 Councilor Erika Strassburger.
“We’re hoping to catch lead exposure pathways in rental units prior to the exposure even happening,” she said. “That’s why this part of the bill is so important.”
Specialized inspectors will evaluate paint and soil for the presence of lead.
Landlords can learn how to create an account and submit a registration online at the city’s OneStopPGH portal.
