Numerous questions have arisen from the discussions on the draft rental inspection ordinance and Council, the Borough Secretary and Borough Solicitor are currently reviewing those questions and making appropriate changes to the ordinance, if necessary.
Also, the current Council suspects that the not all of the residents of the Borough understand and realize that on April 12, 1999, the Canton Borough Council voted to adopt the 1999 BOCA Property Maintenance Code, and this Code is still in effect at this time, as amended. This Code sets forth, via the International Codes Council, the MINIMUM standards in living conditions. Council invites residents either to come to the Borough Office to review these codes or they can be searched and reviewed online.
Canton Borough Solicitor David J. Brann reviewed with Council at their June meeting the right that Council has under the Borough Code with regard to enforcing property maintenance, rental inspection, rental registry, code enforcement, etc.
The general duty under the Borough Code is the safety and welfare of the Borough and its’ residents. With Council looking at adopting additional codes with regards to rentals, landlords have to understand that a rental property is a business, it’s not personal; and that the landlord has ownership in being responsible for the health, safety and welfare of their tenants.
The property maintenance code allows for the codes enforcement department to handle issues and concerns with probable cause; where a rental inspection allows for inspections with reasonable standards and an administrative plan.