Landlord list registration period open

Fines possible for those required to get on registry but who do not

FAYETTEVILLE — People who own more than two residential rental units in the city have until April 30 to register contact information for residents to look up online.

The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance in August to create the registry. Its sponsor, Council Member Teresa Turk, said the intention is to provide a simple way for neighbors to contact a property owner or representative in case of any problems.

A page is set up on the city website for property owners to fill out. It asks for the property owner’s name, business email address and phone number, and whether the property is an apartment complex or individual address. From there, the page asks for contact information for a representative. Only the representative’s information will be viewable to the public, said Becca Bertram with the city’s Development Services division.

The registry will become publicly available May 1. Registration is free.

Anyone who owns and operates more than two rental units in the city already has to get a business license. Business license fees range from $15 to $52 depending on if the operation is homebased and the time of the application. Licenses have to be renewed every year.

A rental property owner will have to be listed on the landlord registry to get a business license or renewal, said Garner Stoll, development services director. Otherwise,

resident complaints will drive enforcement of the landlord registry ordinance, he said.

For instance, a neighbor may have a tree that’s fallen into his property from an apartment complex next door. If the neighbor looks up the property on the registry and finds nothing, he can call the city. From there, city planners will try to contact the property owner and get them on the registry.

The desire is to gain compliance, not resort to punishment, Stoll said. Legally, anyone required who refuses to get on the registry could face up to a $500 fine and daily fines up to $250, which is the standard penalty for violating a city ordinance.

Kendra Butterfield, board president for the Northwest Arkansas Apartment Association and director of operations for Elevation Real Estate and Management, said Fayetteville’s registry asks for the same information as the one that has existed for years in Springdale. Springdale’s registry, however, is meant mostly as a way for city staff to easily contact rental property owners and isn’t posted online for the public to see.

When Butterfield registered properties in Springdale, she had to fill out a paper form and bring it to City Hall. Fayetteville’s online system appears simpler, she said.

On the one hand, having a registry is helpful because it increases the likelihood a property owner or representative gets notified about any issue, Butterfield said. On the other hand, it’s possible neighbors could abuse it, she said.

So far, the city has about 65 pending entries for its registry, Bertram said. The Development Services division switched to a new webbased system to handle its licenses, applications, permits and fees last summer, and staff is working on a way to categorize the records to get an idea how many people need to register, she said.

It’s unlikely someone would get to the point of being prosecuted for not getting on the registry, City Prosecutor Brian Thomas said. If a property owner fails to register, it likely will be because he didn’t know about it, he said. Planning staff will inform the property owners and get them on the list, rather than immediately turn someone over to the city prosecutor.

“The city wants you to do it and to do it by this deadline,” Thomas said. “You’ve got to draw a line somewhere; otherwise it would be, ‘Get registered whenever you want; just try to get it done sometime in this millennium.’ Plenty of people just wouldn’t do it.”