16.140 Residential Rental Registration.

(1) Findings and Purpose. It is hereby found and declared that it is necessary to establish a program of residential rental property registration and City-wide inspection of residential dwelling units within the City to ensure that those units provide safe, decent and sanitary living conditions for their occupants and to prevent further deterioration of those units. This chapter is enacted to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and to prevent blighted conditions in City neighborhoods by encouraging residential property owners to exercise their responsibility to ensure that the Manitowoc Municipal Code provisions governing the condition and maintenance of residential dwelling units are followed.

(2) Definitions.

Code Enforcement Officer shall mean any Fire Department employee responsible for inspecting and enforcing the City’s building, housing, electrical, plumbing, and/or ventilation codes.

Department shall mean the City of Manitowoc Fire Department.

Dwelling unit shall mean a room or group of rooms providing or intending to provide permanent living quarters for not more than one family.

Owner shall mean any person who alone or jointly or severally with others shall be the legally recorded holder of the title with or without actual possession thereof, or who has charge, care, or control of any dwelling or dwelling unit as agent or owner or as executor, administrator, trustee, or guardian of the estate of the owner. The term owner under this chapter shall also include the legally recorded holder of a land contract vendee interest.

Person shall mean and include any individual, firm, corporation, partnership or association.

Residential rental dwelling unit shall mean a structure or part of a structure, home, residence, or living unit occupied by a single person or family, or any grounds or other facilities or area occupied for the use of a residential tenant and includes, without limitation, apartment units and buildings, mobile homes, and single and two-family dwellings. Residential rental dwelling unit does not include facilities that are inspected, owned, licensed or certified by the State of Wisconsin, including rest homes, convalescent homes, nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living centers, community based residential facilities, university-owned student dormitories, or adult family homes.

(3) Authorized Contact Person. Each owner of a residential rental dwelling unit shall designate him/herself or another person as an authorized contact person with full authority to act on behalf of the owner for all purposes in this chapter. All official notices served on the authorized contact person shall be deemed to have been served on the owner.

(4) Residential Rental Contact Registration Required.

(a) The owner of a residential rental dwelling unit located within the City shall record the residential rental contact registration with the Department on application forms provided by the Department by March 1, 2019, for rental units existing on the effective date of January 1, 2019, or within 30 days of full or partial occupancy of new construction or creation of residential rental units. The registration shall be updated within 30 days of a change in information as required in subsection (4)(b) of this section.

(b) The owner shall provide information on the form which will enable the Department to contact the owner, or at the option of the owner, the owner’s agent, including the street address of the residential rental dwelling unit(s) to be registered, and the owner’s or agent’s legal name, mailing address, and telephone number. The owner may voluntarily provide an email address for the owner or the owner’s agent.

(c) The owner of a residential rental dwelling unit shall update the residential rental contact registration on file with the Department within 30 days of any changes in the information required by subsection (4)(b) of this section to ensure that it includes the correct and current contact information at all times.

(d) Within 30 days of sale, transfer, or conveyance of the residential rental dwelling unit, the new owner shall submit to the City the completed residential contact registration as provided by subsection (4)(b) of this section.

(e) The residential rental contact registration does not act as a statement or admission regarding the rental unit condition or compliance of the rental unit with any other code or ordinance.

(5) Penalties. Any person who fails to timely register a residential rental dwelling unit within the time periods set forth in this section shall be subject to a forfeiture of not more $100.00 per rental dwelling unit. Each week of noncompliance shall be treated as a separate offense.

[Ord. 17-1219 § 1, 2018]